VSF Profile

A switch stack is a set of switches that are interconnected through stacking ports. By default, the first member in a stack becomes the conductor and the second member in a stack becomes the standby. All the switches in the stack other than the conductor and standby become members.

VSF Profile allows you to create VSF stacks, add stack members, modify VSF links, enable or disable split-detect, change standby and remove stack members through the UI.

Switch Platform	Maximum Number of Stack Members
AOS-CX 4100i Switch Series	4
AOS-CX 6100 Switch Series	6
AOS-CX 6200 Switch Series	8
AOS-CX 6300 Switch Series	10
AOS-CX 6300L Switch Series	10
AOS-S 2930F Switch Series	8
AOS-S 2930M Switch Series	10

For information on minimum and recommended software versions, see Supported AOS-CX Switch Platforms.

Prerequisites

• Before onboarding to Classic Central, ensure that all the switches to be part of VSF stack are in factory-default configuration. If any of the devices are not in the factory-default state, execute the erase all zeroize command.

• All switches in the stack must be added to the device inventory. All switches in the VSF stack must be assigned with the same subscription tier.

• The VSF conductor must have connectivity to Classic Central.

• Before creating a stack, only the conductor must be moved to the New Central group in Classic Central.

For more information, refer to the AOS-CX Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) Guide.

Creating a VSF Profile with Auto-Stacking

To create a VSF profile using the auto-stacking method, all switches in the VSF stack must be physically connected in the ring topology.

 For auto-stacking to work, the members should be connected in the direction of the higher denomination port to the lower denomination port.

The following ports are reserved for auto-stacking:

• 12-port switch models— Ports 13 and 14

• 24-port switch models— Ports 25 and 26

• 40-port switch models— Ports 41 and 42

• 48-port switch models— Ports 49 and 50

Auto-stacking peer discovery is a uni-directional process. It starts with the VSF link containing the higher denomination VSF port. Member discovery starts on the higher-numbered port for each member in line. For a three-member stack in the ring topology, use the following connection example for auto-stacking to work:

Connect port 50 of member 1 to port 49 of member 2

Connect port 50 of member 2 to port 25 of member 3

Connect port 26 of member 3 to port 49 of member 1

For more information, refer to the AOS-CX Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) Guide.

After the initial auto-stack formation and once all members have joined the stack, the stack operates similarly to a manually created VSF stack. All VSF configurations can then be performed on the VSF stack created through the UI in HPE Aruba Networking Central.

To create a VSF profile, complete the following steps:

1. In the HPE Aruba Networking Central landing page, click the configurationicon.
   The Profiles tab is displayed.

2. In the left navigation menu, select Sites.

   The site list view is displayed.

3. Select a site from which you want to create a profile.

   The Profiles Management page is displayed.

4. In the Profiles Management, select the device type from the Device Function drop-down list.

5. On the High Availability card, click VSF.
   Alternatively, you can complete the following steps:

   1. On the High Availability card, click Manage.

   2. On the VSF card, click Manage.
      

   The VSF list view is displayed.

6. Click Create Profile.
   The Create Profile side panel is displayed.

7. Configure the following VSF profile parameters:

   • Name—Enter the name of the VSF profile.

   • Description—Enter the description for the VSF profile.

   • Switch Series—Select the switch series from the drop-down list. The supported switch series are 6200, 6300 and 6300L.
     

   • Auto Stack—Select the checkbox to create a stack through auto-stacking.

   • Detect stack split using mgmt interface—Select the checkbox to enable VSF split detection. If this is enabled, during a split, the fragment that has the conductor becomes the active fragment and keeps its front plane (non-VSF) interfaces up and running. The other fragment becomes inactive and all non-VSF interfaces on the inactive fragment are brought down to avoid network disruption.

     Note:

     The VSF stack supports split detection utilizing the management interfaces, which requires users to connect the management interfaces of the conductor and standby to the same L2 network. You can also connect the management interfaces of conductor and standby directly to one another for split detection.

8. Click + to add the stack conductor. The Add Stack Conductor page displays the Role and Member ID by default.

9. Select the serial number of the conductor switch from the Switch drop-down list.

   The links are automatically assigned with ports for auto-stacking.

10. Click Add.

    The VSF side panel is displayed.

11. In the VSF side panel, Click Create.

    The new stack profile is created. The VSF standby and member devices will join the stack automatically . You can use the Stack card in the switch monitoring dashboard to verify the status of a stack formation. For more information, see Switch Stack and VSF Stack Errors and Recommendations

Creating a VSF Profile without Auto-Stacking (Manual Method)

To create a VSF profile using the manual-stacking method, all switches in the VSF stack must be physically connected in the ring topology.

VSF manual stack formation requires the user to manually add each VSF member with its VSF link. When configuring a VSF profile, ports must be assigned in the following manner:

• Conductor (Member 1):

  • Link 1: <mem_id>/1/<higher denomination> (Example: 1/1/52)

  • Link 2: <mem_id>/1/<lower denomination> (Example: 1/1/51)

• Member 2:

  • Link 1: <mem_id>/1/<lower denomination (Example: 2/1/49)

  • Link 2: <mem_id>/1/<higher denomination> (Example: 2/1/50)

To create a VSF profile without auto-stacking (manually), complete the following steps:

1. In the HPE Aruba Networking Central landing page, click the configurationicon.
   The Profiles tab is displayed.

2. In the left navigation menu, select Sites.

   The site list view is displayed.

3. Select a site from which you want to create a profile.

   The Profiles Management page is displayed.

4. In the Profiles Management, select the device type as Switch from the Device Function drop-down list.

5. On the High Availability card, click VSF.
   Alternatively, you can complete the following steps:

   1. On the High Availability card, click Manage.

   2. On the VSF card, click Manage.
      

   The VSF list view is displayed.

6. Click Create Profile.
   The Create Profile side panel is displayed.

7. Configure the following VSF profile parameters:

   • Name—Enter the name of the VSF profile.

   • Description—Enter the description for the VSF profile.

   • Switch Series—Select the switch platform from the drop-down list.
     

   • Detect Stack Split Using MGMT Interface—Select the checkbox to enable VSF split detection. If this is enabled, during a split, the fragment that has the conductor becomes the active fragment and keeps its front plane (non-VSF) interfaces up and running. The other fragment becomes inactive and all non-VSF interfaces on the inactive fragment are brought down to avoid network disruption.

     Note:

     The VSF stack supports split detection utilizing the management interfaces, which requires users to connect the management interfaces of the conductor and standby to the same L2 network. You can also connect the management interfaces of conductor and standby directly to one another for split detection.

8. Click + to add the stack conductor and configure the following parameters:

   • Switch —Select the switch serial number from the drop-down list.
     

   • Link 1 Port— Specify one or more VSF capable port numbers for the first VSF link separated by commas.

   • Link 2 Port— Select one or more VSF capable port numbers for the second VSF link separated by commas.

9. Click Add.

10. Click + to add the standby and other stack members as required by configuring the following parameters:

    • SKU—Select the switch SKU from the drop-down list.
      

    • Link 1 Port— Specify one or more VSF capable port numbers for the first VSF link separated by commas.

    • Link 2 Port— Select one or more VSF capable port numbers for the second VSF link separated by commas.

11. Click Create.

    The new stack profile is created. You can use the Stack card in the switch monitoring dashboard to verify the status of a stack formation. For more information, see Switch Stack and VSF Stack Errors and Recommendations

Adding a VSF Stack Member

To add a VSF stack member, complete the following steps:

1. Click anywhere on the row of the profile in the list view.
   The profile edit view is displayed in the side panel.

2. Click + to add a new VSF member and configure the following parameters:

   • Switch —Select the switch SKU from the drop-down list.
     

   • Link 1 Port— Specify one or more VSF capable port numbers for the first VSF link separated by commas.

   • Link 2 Port— Select one or more VSF capable port numbers for the second VSF link separated by commas.

3. Click Add.

4. Click Create.

The newly added stack member is displayed in the stacking table. You can use the Stack card in the switch monitoring dashboard to verify the status of a stack formation. For more information, see Switch Stack and VSF Stack Errors and Recommendations

Changing the Standby Switch

To change the standby switch, complete the following steps:

1. Click anywhere on the row of the profile in the list view.
   The profile edit view is displayed in the side panel.

2. Select the Advanced Parameters checkbox.
   The option to change standby switch is displayed.

3. Select a switch that you want to become the standby from the Change Standby Switch drop-down list.

4. Click Update.

   Both the existing standby switch and the new standby switch are rebooted. After rebooting, the newly selected member joins the stack as the new standby switch. The earlier standby switch becomes a member of the stack.

Modifying VSF Links

To modify VSF links, complete the following steps:

1. Click anywhere on the row of the profile in the list view.
   The profile edit view is displayed in the side panel.

2. Hover over the member row where you want to edit the VSF link and click the edit icon.

3. In the Edit Stack <Role> side panel, modify the VSF links as required.

   Note:

   You can remove the links only when they are shut down.

Removing a Stack Member

To remove a stack member, complete the following steps:

1. Expand the stack profile from which you want to delete a member.

2. Hover over the member that you want to delete in the Stack Members table and click the delete icon. You can only delete one member at a time, starting with the last member in the stack. When removing multiple members from a VSF stack, wait at least 10 to 15 seconds for the removed member to reboot.

   The peer port shuts down automatically when a VSF stack member is removed.

   Note:

   You cannot delete the conductor switch.

Replacing a VSF Member (Same SKU and Same VSF Link)

You can replace a faulty VSF member with a replacement device that uses the same SKU and same VSF link configuration.

To replace a faulty VSF member, complete the following steps:

1. Power off the faulty VSF member.

2. Disconnect all cables from the device, including the VSF link connections.

3. Install the replacement device.

4. Connect the replacement device to the stack using the same VSF link configuration as the faulty member.

5. Restore all other cable connections to the replacement device, ensuring they are reconnected exactly as they were on the faulty device.

6. Power on the replacement device.

Deleting a Stack Profile

To delete a stack profile, hover over the stack profile you want to delete and click the delete icon. The VSF stack profile can be deleted when the device is offline.

To delete a stack profile with more than one member, complete the following steps:

1. Expand the stack profile and hover over the last member to delete it. You can delete only one member at a time, starting with the last member in the stack and not any random VSF member.

2. Once all the members are deleted, only the VSF conductor will remain in the stack. Hover over the stack profile that you want to delete and click the delete icon to delete it.

   Once the VSF profile or member is deleted, the VSF conductor or member will reboot and start with the default configuration.

   Note:

   You cannot delete the conductor switch. Before deleting the member, peer links must be disabled.

VSF Site-Level Configuration Cleanup

When a stack is moved out of a site, its configuration must be manually removed from the site. This applies to the following scenarios:

• If a stack is removed from a site, moved to a different site, or deleted from a site; or

• If a device is unlicensed through the GLCP page.