Brocade Communications Systems IP250 user manual Seed switch failover, VCS fabric split and merge

3 VDX/VCS discovery

NOTE

If you do not have the All IP Products AOR in your user account, you cannot rediscover missing fabric members.

Seed switch failover

The Management application uses the seed switch to discover other members in the VCS fabric. When you discover devices through individual discovery, the seed switch is the first member you discover in the VCS fabric. When you discover devices through profile discovery, the seed switch is the principal switch in the VCS fabric.

•If VCS mode is disabled on the seed switch, the Management application triggers rediscovery of the other members in the VCS fabric and selects another member to act as the seed switch.

•If the seed switch becomes unreachable, the Management application selects another member of the VCS fabric to act as the seed switch.

•If the seed switch becomes unreachable from the Management application and looses connectivity with the VCS fabric, the Management application selects another member of the VCS fabric to act as the seed switch.

•If the seed switch looses connectivity with the VCS fabric but is still reachable from the Management application, the VCS fabric splits into two fabrics. When this occurs, the Management application selects another member of the VCS fabric to act as the seed switch and manages the original seed switch as a separate VCS fabric. When two fabrics regain connectivity, the Management application uses the original seed switch as the seed switch for the merged VCS fabric.

VCS fabric split and merge

•If the seed switch looses connectivity with the VCS fabric but is still reachable from the Management application, the Management application selects another member of the VCS fabric to act as the seed switch and manages the original seed switch as a separate VCS fabric.

When the original seed switch rejoins the original VCS fabric, the Management application uses the original seed switch as the seed switch for the merged VCS fabric.

•If a member (not the seed switch) looses connectivity with the VCS fabric but is still reachable from the Management application, the VCS fabric splits into two fabrics. The Management application treats the member that lost connectivity as a separate VCS fabric.

When the member rejoins the original VCS fabric, the Management application uses the VCS fabric that was discovered first as the merged VCS fabric.

Network OS 2.0 device limitations

VDX devices running Network OS 2.0.0 cannot be discovered directly. However, if you discover a VCS fabric (running Network OS 2.1.0 or later) that contains VDX devices (running Network OS 2.0.0), the Network OS 2.0.0 devices are included in discovery of the fabric and display on the topology map. Network OS 2.0.0 devices have the following limitations:

•Display as unreachable members in the fabric.

•Assets (ports, LAGs, VLANs, and so on) are not collected.

40	Brocade Network Advisor IP User Manual
	53-1003056-01