ACOS 5.1.

0
Configuring ACOS Virtual Chassis Systems
for A10 Thunder® Series
7 December 2019
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Table of Contents

Overview of VCS ........................................................................................................................... 7

VCS Prerequisites...................................................................................................................7
Layer 2 Connectivity .....................................................................................................................................7
VCS Image Location .....................................................................................................................................8
VCS Overview..........................................................................................................................8
VCS Details .....................................................................................................................................................8
Virtual Chassis Management Interface (Floating IP Address) ......................................................... 10
VCS Configuration Management ............................................................................................................ 10
VCS Software Version Management ..................................................................................................... 10
vMaster Election...................................................................................................................10
Understanding vMaster Election ............................................................................................................ 11
VCS Initial Deployment ...................................................................................................................... 11
VRRP-A Active/Standby Device Selection ..................................................................................... 11
VCS and VRRP-A vMaster Selection ............................................................................................... 12
vMaster Election During Initial (First-Time) Deployment ................................................................... 12
Initial Virtual Chassis Deployment ................................................................................................... 12
vMaster Election for Initial Deployment - Same Priority and Boot Time ................................. 14
vMaster Election for Initial Deployment - Different Priorities, Same Boot Time .................... 15
vMaster Election Using Dynamic Priority ............................................................................................. 15
vMaster Election and Heartbeat Messages ......................................................................................... 17
vMaster Election and Split Chassis ........................................................................................................ 18
Forced vMaster Takeover ........................................................................................................................ 19
VCS Configuration Management and Synchronization......................................................19
VCS Configuration Management ............................................................................................................ 20
Automated Configuration Synchronization .......................................................................................... 21
Manual Configuration Synchronization ................................................................................................. 23
VCS Software Image Synchronization ................................................................................24
Customizing the Virtual Chassis .........................................................................................25
Changing the System Time in a Virtual Chassis ................................................................................. 25
Configurable VCS Prompts ...................................................................................................................... 25
Restoring the Default Prompt Display ................................................................................................... 26

Deploying a Virtual Chassis ........................................................................................................ 27

Initial VCS Deployment.........................................................................................................27
Initial VCS Deployment Overview ........................................................................................................... 28
Initial vMaster Configuration ................................................................................................................... 28
Initial vBlade Configuration ...................................................................................................................... 29
First-Time Deployment Example ............................................................................................................ 30
Topology and Commands ................................................................................................................. 30

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vMaster Initial Configuration Example ........................................................................................... 31

vBlade Initial Configuration Example .............................................................................................. 35
Forcing vMaster Takeover ...................................................................................................37
Forced vMaster Takeover Procedure .................................................................................................... 37
Temp-Priority Value ................................................................................................................................... 37
Determining a Device’s VCS ID ............................................................................................38
Viewing VCS Information .....................................................................................................39
CLI ................................................................................................................................................................. 39
GUI ................................................................................................................................................................ 39
VCS CLI-Session Management ............................................................................................40
CLI Message for Commands That Affect Only the Local Device ..................................................... 40
Local Device ......................................................................................................................................... 40
Message Example ............................................................................................................................... 41
Notes ..................................................................................................................................................... 41
Option To Configure VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active ............................................................. 41
Overview of VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active ..................................................................... 42
VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active Configuration Example ................................................. 43
VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active and vMaster Takeover .................................................. 44
Option to Disable Syncing of SNMP sysContact OID ......................................................................... 44
vMaster Maintenance Mode .................................................................................................................... 44

Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis .......................................................................................... 45

Overview of Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis ..............................................................45
Procedure for Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis...........................................................47

Replacing a Device in a Virtual Chassis ...................................................................................... 49

Configuration Synchronization without Reload .......................................................................... 51

Usage Summary ...................................................................................................................51
VRRP-A with VCS Deployment Example .............................................................................52
Commands on Device 1 ........................................................................................................................... 52
Commands on Device 2 ........................................................................................................................... 53

VCS CLI Commands ................................................................................................................... 55

VCS Operational Commands ...............................................................................................56
device-context ............................................................................................................................................ 56
vcs admin-session-connect ..................................................................................................................... 57
vcs disable ................................................................................................................................................... 58
vcs enable .................................................................................................................................................... 59
vcs vMaster-maintenance ....................................................................................................................... 60
vcs vmaster-take-over .............................................................................................................................. 60
VCS Configuration Commands ............................................................................................62
vcs dead-interval ........................................................................................................................................ 63
vcs debug .................................................................................................................................................... 63
vcs device .................................................................................................................................................... 64

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vcs failure-retry-count ............................................................................................................................... 65

vcs floating-ip ............................................................................................................................................. 66
vcs floating-ipv6 ......................................................................................................................................... 66
vcs force-wait-interval ............................................................................................................................... 66
vcs discovery-mode .................................................................................................................................. 67
vcs multicast-ip .......................................................................................................................................... 69
vcs multicast-ipv6 ...................................................................................................................................... 70
vcs multicast-port ...................................................................................................................................... 70
vcs reload .................................................................................................................................................... 70
vcs ssl-enable ............................................................................................................................................. 71
vcs time-interval ......................................................................................................................................... 71
vcs unicast-ip .............................................................................................................................................. 72
vcs unicast-ipv6 ......................................................................................................................................... 72
vcs unicast-port ......................................................................................................................................... 72
vcs vmaster-maintenance ....................................................................................................................... 73
VCS Show Commands .........................................................................................................73
show vcs debug ......................................................................................................................................... 73
show vcs images ....................................................................................................................................... 74
show vcs stat .............................................................................................................................................. 75
show vcs summary ................................................................................................................................... 75

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Overview of VCS

This chapter provides an overview of the Virtual Chassis System (VCS).

The following topics are covered in this chapter:

• VCS Prerequisites

• VCS Overview

• vMaster Election

• VCS Configuration Management and Synchronization

• VCS Software Image Synchronization

• Customizing the Virtual Chassis

NOTE: VCS and aVCS, an acronym for ACOS Virtual Chassis System, are used
interchangeably.

VCS Prerequisites
VCS has the following prerequisite requirements:

• Layer 2 Connectivity

• VCS Image Location

Layer 2 Connectivity
VCS uses IP multicast. All ACOS devices in an VCS virtual chassis must be in the same Layer 2 broad-
cast domain.

VCS can operate across different geographic regions provided latency is low. VRRP-A session synchro-
nization will be the gating factor in terms of latency.

NOTE: When using VCS with VRRP-A high availability, the VCS management
address (virtual chassis’ floating IP address) should not be the same as a
VRRP-A floating IP address of the VRID.

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VCS Image Location

The VCS-capable image must be installed in the same image area on each device. For example, install
the image in the primary image area of the hard disk or solid state drive (SSD) on each device.

VCS Overview
The following section are covered in this topic:

• VCS Details

• Virtual Chassis Management Interface (Floating IP Address)

• VCS Configuration Management

• VCS Software Version Management

VCS Details
ACOS Virtual Chassis System (VCS) enables you to manage a cluster of ACOS devices like a single, vir-
tual chassis. One ACOS device in the virtual chassis is the virtual master (vMaster). The other ACOS
devices are virtual blades (vBlades) within the virtual chassis, and are managed by the vMaster. As a
controller for the vBlades, the vMaster provides centralized storage of the entire ACOS device configu-
ration. Any configuration changes from the vMaster are automatically propagated to the vBlades.

VCS, as a management tool, provides high availability functionality on the ACOS device with the help of
VRRP-A across multiple ACOS devices.

Depending on the ACOS series model, with the help of VRRP-A, VCS can support a maximum 7 addi-
tional blades. VCS requires that all devices in the same virtual switch have the same number of CPUs
and are the same ACOS device model.

CAUTION: If you use the system-reset command to restore an ACOS device to its
factory default state, the command affects all ACOS devices in the virtual
chassis. The command erases any saved configuration profiles (includ-
ing startup-config), as well as system files such as SSL certificates and
keys, aFleX policies, black/white lists, and system logs. The manage-
ment IP address and admin-configured admin and enable passwords are
also removed. The only workaround is to reload the system from a saved
configuration or configure the device once again.

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VCS Overview

NOTE: Before performing a system-reset, always create a system backup of the

ACOS device to allow you to be able to restore the ACOS device from the
backup when necessary.

VCS elects a single device within the virtual chassis as the vMaster for the chassis. The vMaster pro-
vides a single point of control for all devices in the virtual chassis, as shown in Figure 1.

FIGURE 1 vMaster - Control Point for all Devices

In addition to individual device management and VCS configurations, the vMaster can also take care of
the following operations on vBlades:

• Synchronize configurations

• Synchronize certificates

• Synchronize keys

• Synchronize aFleX policies

• Synchronize black/white lists

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• Synchronize code versions

Virtual Chassis Management Interface (Floating IP Address)

The virtual chassis has a floating IP address. The virtual chassis’ floating IP address is the manage-
ment address for the chassis. To manage a virtual chassis, establish a management connection (for
example, CLI or GUI) to the floating IP address.

When you connect to the virtual chassis’ management IP address, the connection goes to the vMaster.
You can make configuration changes only on the vMaster. The vMaster automatically sends the
changes to the vBlades.

If necessary, you can change the context of the management session to a specific vBlade. To change
the management context to the vBlade, use the vcs admin-session-connect command. The manage-
ment session will change from the vMaster to the specified vBlade.

NOTE: For more information, see VCS CLI-Session Management.

VCS Configuration Management

When you make a configuration change on the vMaster, the change is sent to the running-config on
each vBlade.

NOTE: For more information, see VCS Configuration Management and Synchro-
nization.

VCS Software Version Management

The vMaster also ensures that each device in the virtual chassis is running the same software version.

NOTE: For more information, see VCS Software Image Synchronization.

vMaster Election
This section contains information about vMaster election in a virtual chassis and the factors that help
determine which device becomes the vMaster.

The following sections are covered in this topic:

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vMaster Election

• Understanding vMaster Election

• vMaster Election During Initial (First-Time) Deployment

• vMaster Election Using Dynamic Priority

• vMaster Election and Heartbeat Messages

• vMaster Election and Split Chassis

• Forced vMaster Takeover

Understanding vMaster Election

The devices in a virtual chassis use a vMaster election process to elect the vMaster for the virtual chas-
sis.

The following sub-sections are covered in this section:

• VCS Initial Deployment

• VRRP-A Active/Standby Device Selection

• VCS and VRRP-A vMaster Selection

To understand when a vMaster will take over as the Active device, it is necessary to understand differ-
ent configuration scenarios that impact vMaster selection for VCS, for VRRP-A, and for VCS with VRRP-
A:

VCS Initial Deployment

For initial configuration, each ACOS device in the virtual chassis is assigned a VCS device ID and VCS
priority. An ACOS device becomes the vMaster if it has the highest configured VCS priority among all
the other ACOS devices in the virtual chassis. If all ACOS devices in the VCS configuration have the
same VCS priority, then the ACOS device with the lowest device ID will become the vMaster. In this con-
figuration, each ACOS device will be a stand-alone device, without any active or standby pairs.

To avoid having to configure each individual ACOS device separately, it is recommended that you con-
figure only one ACOS device that will serve as the vMaster then have the vMaster automatically config-
ure the remaining ACOS devices in the virtual chassis.

VRRP-A Active/Standby Device Selection

When VRRP-A is configured, the Active device selection is based on two factors, weight and priority,
before electing an Active device that will have several Standby devices ready to take over that role. An
ACOS device will become an Active or Standby device depending on the weight or priority of that
device. The weight of an ACOS device will always take precedence over the priority. If we have a higher
weight but a lower priority, the ACOS device with the higher weight will be the Active. If the weight of the

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devices are equal, the ACOS device with the higher priority will become the Active ACOS device. If the
weight and the priority of the devices are equal, the ACOS device will the lowest VRRP-A device ID will
be the Active ACOS device.

As a ACOS device user, configure VRRP-A using VRRP-A failover templates and VRRP-A tracking
options to adjust the weight (using failover templates) or priority (using global tracking options) of an
ACOS device and elect an Active device.

NOTE: For more information, see Configuring VRRP-A High Availability.

VCS and VRRP-A vMaster Selection

When VCS and VRRP-A are configured to work in conjunction, all ACOS devices will be able to process
traffic as an Active/Standby pair, but these Active/Standby pairs will be configurable using a single
ACOS device. The VRRP-A concept of having an Active device and a Standby device to process traffic
will remain the same. However, with VCS, you can configure the Active and Standby devices using a
single ACOS device.

In summary, VCS has its own configured priority and dynamic priority for electing the vMaster not for
electing the Active or Standby device. Use the show vcs statistics command to display the configured
and dynamic priority.

VRRP-A has its own weight and priority algorithm to determine which ACOS device is the Active or the
Standby device, however, it does not elect the vMaster. Use the show vrrp-a command to display the
weight and priority for the devices running VRRP-A. For details on how a failover occurs based on
weight or priority using a template, refer to “Event Tracking for Weight or Priority” in Configuring VRRP-A
High Availability. You can force a device to serve as a vMaster without dynamic election by temporarily
assigning it a higher priority.

vMaster Election During Initial (First-Time) Deployment

The following sub-sections are covered in this section:

• Initial Virtual Chassis Deployment

• vMaster Election for Initial Deployment - Same Priority and Boot Time

• vMaster Election for Initial Deployment - Different Priorities, Same Boot Time

Initial Virtual Chassis Deployment

For initial virtual chassis deployment, the vMaster is elected based on one of the following parameters:

• Priority – The device with the highest configured VCS priority is elected to be the vMaster. If you
boot one of the devices first and allow it to become the vMaster, the device remains the vMaster

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vMaster Election

when the other devices join the virtual chassis, even if the configured priority is higher on another
device. This is due to the dynamic priority value assigned by VCS.

NOTE: For more information, see vMaster Election Using Dynamic Priority.

• Device ID – If all devices have the same configured priority, the device with the lowest VCS device
ID is elected to be the vMaster

NOTE: For more information, see vMaster Election for Initial Deployment - Same
Priority and Boot Time and vMaster Election for Initial Deployment - Dif-
ferent Priorities, Same Boot Time.

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vMaster Election for Initial Deployment - Same Priority and Boot Time
Figure 2 illustrates vMaster selection in a virtual chassis where all devices have the same priority and
are booted up at the same time. In this situation, the device with the lowest device ID (Device 1) is
elected as the vMaster.

FIGURE 2 vMaster Election in Initial Deployment - Same Priority Value on each Device

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vMaster Election

vMaster Election for Initial Deployment - Different Priorities, Same Boot Time
Figure 3 illustrates vMaster selection in a virtual chassis where each device has a different priority, and
all devices are booted up at the same time. In this situation, the device with the highest priority (Device
4) is elected as the vMaster.

FIGURE 3 vMaster Election in Initial Deployment - Different Priority Values Configured

vMaster Election Using Dynamic Priority

The configurable VCS priority is a static value in each device’s configuration. After a virtual chassis
becomes active, another priority value, the dynamic priority, becomes the most important parameter
when electing the vMaster. The device with the highest dynamic priority always becomes the vMaster.

The dynamic priority adds stability to the virtual chassis, by consistently using the same device as
vMaster whenever possible. Once a device becomes vMaster, its dynamic priority ensures that it will
remain the vMaster, even if another device has a higher configured priority. For example, if the vMaster
becomes unavailable and a vBlade transitions to vMaster, the new vMaster remains in control even if
the previous vMaster rejoins the virtual chassis.

The following Figure 4 shows an example of how dynamic priority works. Device 3 was booted first,
and even though other devices have higher priority values, dynamic priority keeps Device 3 as the
vMaster.

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FIGURE 4 vMaster Election with Dynamic Priority

Dynamic priority is not configurable. However, you can force a vBlade to become the vMaster. (See
Forced vMaster Takeover.)

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vMaster Election

vMaster Election and Heartbeat Messages

At regular intervals (the heartbeat time interval), the vMaster sends heartbeat messages to each of the
vBlades, to inform them that the vMaster is still up, as shown in the Figure 5.

FIGURE 5 Heartbeat Messages

If a vBlade does not receive a heartbeat message within a specified amount of time (heartbeat dead
interval), the vBlade changes its state from vBlade to vMaster-candidate, and engages in the vMaster
election process with the other devices that are still up.

The default heartbeat time is 3 seconds. The default heartbeat dead interval is 10 seconds. Both
parameters are configurable.

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vMaster Election and Split Chassis

If one or more vBlades lose contact with the vMaster, the vMaster remains in control for the vBlades
that can still receive the vMaster’s heartbeat messages. However, the other vBlades use the vMaster
election process to elect a new vMaster. This results in two separate virtual chassis (a “split chassis”),
as shown in the Figure 6.

FIGURE 6 vMaster Election - Split Chassis

After the links among the disconnected devices are restored, the devices again use the vMaster elec-
tion process to elect a vMaster. Generally, the vMaster that was in effect before the virtual chassis
divided continues to be the vMaster after the virtual chassis is rejoined, based on the device’s dynamic
priority value. (See vMaster Election Using Dynamic Priority.)

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VCS Configuration Management and Synchronization

Forced vMaster Takeover

You can force a vBlade to take over as vMaster, without changing the vMaster-election priority values
configured on the devices. For example, you can force a vBlade to take over the vMaster role, without
changing the VCS profiles of any of the devices.

FIGURE 7 Forced vMaster Takeover

NOTE: For a configuration example, see Forcing vMaster Takeover.

VCS Configuration Management and Synchronization

This section describes how configuration changes are handled within the virtual chassis.

The following sections are covered in this topic:

• VCS Configuration Management

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• Automated Configuration Synchronization

• Manual Configuration Synchronization

VCS Configuration Management

When you make a configuration change on the vMaster, the change is simultaneously propagated to
the running configuration on each vBlade. For example (Figure 8), if you create a new SLB server “RS1”
on the vMaster, the vMaster sends the server to the running configuration on each of the vBlades.

When the configuration on the vMaster is saved, the vMaster writes the contents of its running config-
uration to its startup configuration and performs the same action on each vBlade in the virtual chassis.

FIGURE 8 VCS Configuration Management

Once the virtual chassis is fully operational, all devices in the virtual chassis have exactly the same set
of configuration profiles. This includes the startup configuration and any custom configuration profiles.

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VCS Configuration Management and Synchronization

Automated Configuration Synchronization

VCS automatically synchronizes configuration information within the virtual chassis. Configuration
changes are synchronized in real-time as they occur.

All configuration changes are synchronized, even changes to device-specific parameters such as host-
names and IP addresses. VCS configuration synchronization ensures that each device in the virtual
chassis has a complete set of configuration information for itself and for each of the other devices. For
example, configuration synchronization ensures that each device has the complete VCS configuration
for the virtual chassis (Figure 9).

FIGURE 9 VCS Device-Specific Parameters

In this example, the device-specific portions of the configuration are shown in enlarged text bold type
for each device.

NOTE: For brevity, some commands are omitted from the illustration. For exam-
ple, in a working configuration, the vcs enable command normally would
appear in the configuration for each device, under the vrrp-a commands,
and the enable command would appear among the VCS commands for
each device.

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Common parameters, such as SLB parameters, are shared by all devices in the virtual chassis and do
not have a device ID (Figure 10).

FIGURE 10 Common Parameters

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VCS Configuration Management and Synchronization

Interface parameters are unique to each device and include the VCS device number (Figure 11).

FIGURE 11 Interface Parameters

This example shows the configuration for each device’s management IP address and an Ethernet inter-
face. VLANs, Virtual Ethernet (VE) interfaces, and trunks also include the VCS device ID.

Manual Configuration Synchronization

Optionally, you can manually synchronize the VRRP-A configuration to specific devices. For more infor-
mation on manual synchronization using VRRP-A, refer to “Manually Synchronizing the Configuration”
in Configuring VRRP-A High Availability.

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VCS Software Image Synchronization

In addition to the configuration repository, each device in the virtual chassis also has a software image
repository. When a new or rebooted device joins the virtual chassis as a vBlade, the device compares
its running software image version with the version running on the vMaster. If the version on the vMas-
ter is newer, the vBlade downloads the image from the vMaster, then reboots to place the image into
effect.

When a vBlade upgrades in this way, the new image replaces the older image, in the same image area.
For example, if the vBlade boots the older image from the primary image area on the hard drive, the
upgrade image downloaded from the vMaster replaces the image in the primary image area.

NOTE: When the web GUI image is upgraded on the vMaster, it gets synchronized
to all vBlades.

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Customizing the Virtual Chassis

Customizing the Virtual Chassis

This section contains information for customizing items related to VCS configuration.

The following sections are covered in this topic:

• Changing the System Time in a Virtual Chassis

• Configurable VCS Prompts

• Restoring the Default Prompt Display

Changing the System Time in a Virtual Chassis

If you need to set or change the system time on a vBlade in a virtual chassis, make sure to make the
change on the vMaster, not directly on the vBlade.

This is especially important if you need to set the time ahead on the vBlade. In this case, if you set the
time ahead directly on a vBlade, that device leaves, then rejoins the virtual chassis, and the change
does not take effect.

Configurable VCS Prompts

The CLI prompt can be configured to reflect the VCS chassis device ID and status.

To explicitly enable display of information items in the CLI prompt, use the following command at the
global configuration level of the CLI:

terminal prompt info-item-list

The info-item-list can contain one or more of the following values:

• vcs-status [chassis-device-id] – Enables display of the aVCS status of the device.

The chassis-device-id option enables display of the virtual chassis ID and device ID.
• hostname – Enables display of the ACOS hostname.

• chassis-device-id – Display aVCS device id in the prompt. For example, this can be 7/1, where
the number 7 indicates the chassis ID and 1 indicates the device ID within the aVCS set.

NOTE: The aVCS Chassis ID and the aVCS Device ID are configurable as part of
the prompt if aVCS is running. The prompt that you specify will be syn-
chronized and reflected on all the other devices in the aVCS set.

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Restoring the Default Prompt Display

To re-enable display of all the information items, use the no terminal prompt global configuration com-
mand.

The following command disables display of the aVCS status and hostname in the CLI prompt:

ACOS2-Active-vMaster[1/1](config)# terminal prompt ha-status

Active(config)#

The following command re-enables display of all the information items:

Active(config)# no terminal prompt

ACOS2-Active-vMaster[1/1](config)#

NOTE: For more information, see “VRRP-A / VCS Status in Command

Prompt” in the Command Line Interface Reference.

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Deploying a Virtual Chassis

This chapter describes how to deploy VCS.

The following topics are covered in this chapter:

• Initial VCS Deployment

• Forcing vMaster Takeover

• Determining a Device’s VCS ID

• Viewing VCS Information

• VCS CLI-Session Management

Initial VCS Deployment

This section describes how to deploy VCS for the first time.

The following sections are covered in this topic:

• Initial VCS Deployment Overview

• Initial vMaster Configuration

• Initial vBlade Configuration

• First-Time Deployment Example

CAUTION: Use this procedure only for first-time deployment of VCS. If you are
upgrading ACOS devices on which VCS is already configured, refer to the
upgrade instructions included with the release notes for your release.

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Initial VCS Deployment Overview

The following Table 1 summarizes the steps in the procedure for initial VCS deployment.

TABLE 1 Summary of Steps for Initial VCS Deployment

Step Description and Documentation
1 Complete VCS configuration on the device that will be the vMaster.

NOTE: See Initial vMaster Configuration for more information.

2 After completing VCS configuration on the vMaster, enable VCS on the vBlades, and configure VCS-
related parameters for the vBlades.

NOTE: See Initial vBlade Configuration for more information.

3 Reload VCS on the vBlades. At this point, the vMaster synchronizes the configuration to the vBlades.

NOTE: This step is not required when deploying VCS in the GUI;
when VCS is enabled the GUI automatically performs the sys-
tem reload to synchronize configurations.
4 View the running-config on the vMaster and on the vBlades to verify that both the vMaster and
vBlades configurations are synchronized.

The steps above establishes the first-time base VCS configuration synchronization between vMaster
and vBlades. After this, subsequent configuration changes on the vMaster are automatically syn-
chronized to the vBlades.
5 If you plan to use Layer 3 virtualization, configure it on the vMaster.

Initial vMaster Configuration

To configure the vMaster for the first time:

1. If you have not already done do, configure basic system settings:
• Management interface and default gateway
• Hostname
• Ethernet interfaces
• VLANs
• Routing
2. Configure the following VCS settings related to VRPR-A high availability:
• Chassis ID – Assign each device to the same set (this is the VRRP-A set ID).
• Device ID – Assign a unique device ID to each device (this is the VRRP-A device ID).

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3. Enable VCS.
4. Configure the floating IP address that will be used by the virtual chassis.
The floating IP address must be in the same subnet as the ACOS device’s management IP address
or one of the device’s data interface IP addresses.
5. Configure VCS device settings:
• vMaster-election interface – Ethernet interface(s) to use for vMaster election. Generally, these
are the interfaces connected to the other devices in the virtual chassis. The election interfaces
for devices in a VCS virtual chassis must be in the shared partition. Use of an L3V private parti-
tion’s interface as a VCS election interface is not supported.
• (Optional) vMaster-election priority – If you want a specific device to serve as the vMaster for
the virtual chassis, set that device’s VCS priority to 255. You can leave the priority set to its
default value on the other devices, which will become vBlades.
To allow VCS to select the vMaster based on VCS device ID, leave the vMaster-election priority
on all devices unchanged.

NOTE: It is recommended not to disable any of the vMaster election interfaces.

Doing so can interrupt communication between vMaster and vBlade, and
cause the vBlade to reload.

NOTE: See vMaster Initial Configuration Example for an example configuration.

Initial vBlade Configuration

This section provides details for initial vBlade configuration. You must perform these steps on each
device that you want to be a vBlade in the virtual chassis.

1. Configure basic system settings:

• Management interface and default gateway
• Hostname
• Ethernet interfaces
• VLANs
• Routing
2. Configure the following VCS settings related to VRPR-A high availability:
• Chassis ID – Assign each device to the same set (this is the VRRP-A set ID).
• Device ID – Assign a unique device ID to each device (this is the VRRP-A device ID).
3. Enable VCS.
4. Configure VCS device settings:

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• vMaster-election interface – Ethernet interface(s) to use for vMaster election. Generally, these
are the interfaces connected to the other devices in the virtual chassis. The election interfaces
for devices in an VCS virtual chassis must be in the shared partition. Use of an L3V private par-
tition’s interface as a VCS election interface is not supported.
• (Optional) vMaster-election priority – If you want a specific device to serve as the vMaster for
the virtual chassis, set that device’s VCS priority to 255. You can leave the priority set to its
default value on the other devices, which will become vBlades.
To allow VCS to select the vMaster based on VCS device ID, leave the vMaster-election priority
on all devices unchanged.

NOTE: It is recommended not to disable any of the vMaster election interfaces.

Doing so can interrupt communication between vMaster and vBlade, and
cause the vBlade to reload.

NOTE: See vBlade Initial Configuration Example for an example configuration.

First-Time Deployment Example

The following sections are covered in this topic:

• Topology and Commands

• vMaster Initial Configuration Example

• vBlade Initial Configuration Example

Topology and Commands

The following commands deploy a virtual chassis containing two devices.

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Initial VCS Deployment

FIGURE 12 Sample First-Time VCS Deployment Topology

NOTE: For simplicity, configuration of basic system settings is not shown.

vMaster Initial Configuration Example

This section provides an example of initial configuration for the vMaster.

This section contains the following sub-sections:

• vMaster Initial Configuration Example Using the CLI

• vMaster Initial Configuration Example Using the GUI

vMaster Initial Configuration Example Using the CLI

1. Enable VRRP-A and configure the VRRP-A set ID and device ID:
ACOS# configure
ACOS(config)# vrrp-a common
ACOS(config-common)# set-id 1
ACOS(config-common)# device-id 1
ACOS(config-common)# enable
ACOS-Active(config-common)# exit
ACOS-Active(config)#

NOTE: If VRRP-A is not already configured on your system, the prompt will show
“ForcedStandby” until the system is able to determine that it should be
the active device. When this happens, the prompt will show “Active” as
illustrated in this example.

2. Enable VCS:

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ACOS-Active(config)# vcs enable

ACOS-Active(config:1)#

NOTE: The “:1” at the end of the prompt, indicating that VCS enabled and you are
on local device 1 (the vMaster). The device ID was set earlier using the
device-id command under VRRP-A common configuration mode.

3. Configure the floating IP address for the virtual chassis:

ACOS(config:1)# vcs floating-ip 192.168.209.23 /24

4. Configure the VCS profile for the device:

ACOS(config:1)# vcs device 1

ACOS(config:1-device:1)# interfaces management
ACOS(config:1-device:1)# priority 125
ACOS(config:1-device:1)# enable
ACOS(config:1-device:1)# exit
ACOS(config:1)# vcs reload

System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no]:yes

Building configuration...
Write configuration to primary default startup-config
[OK]
Running configuration is saved
ACOS(config:1)#

vMaster Initial Configuration Example Using the GUI

1. Enable VRRP-A and configure the VRRP-A set ID and device ID.
a. Hover over System in the menu bar, then select VRRP-A. Ensure Global is selected under the
Settings Tab.
b. Under the General Fields section, select Enable for the VRRP-A Enable field and configure the
Device ID and Set ID by entering a device ID and set ID number in the respective fields.
c. Click OK.

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2. Configure VCS General Settings:

a. Hover over System in the menu bar, then select aVCS and select Enable in the aVCS Enable
field.
b. Configure the management address for the virtual chassis.
Click +Add in the Floating IP Address section to add a Floating IP address row. In the IP
Address Type field, select IPv4 as the address type from the drop-down list, then enter
192.168.209.23 as the floating IP management address in the IP Address field, and enter /24 as
the subnet mask in the Netmask field.
c. Click OK.

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3. Configure the aVCS device settings:

a. From the System >> aVCS >> Settings, select the Device tab.
b. Click New Device.
c. In the Device field, specify the device ID.
d. In the Priority field, specify the priority.
e. Select Enable in the Enable field.
f. Select Enable in the Management field.
g. Click Submit.

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vBlade Initial Configuration Example

This section provides an initial configuration example for the vBlade. If your configuration contains
multiple vBlades, this procedure should be repeated on each device.

This section contains the following sub-sections:

• vBlade Initial Configuration Example Using the CLI

• vBlade Initial Configuration Example Using the GUI

vBlade Initial Configuration Example Using the CLI

ACOS-2# configure
ACOS-2(config)# vrrp-a common
ACOS-2(config-common)# set-id 1
ACOS-2(config-common)# device-id 2
ACOS-2(config-common)# enable
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config-common) #exit
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config)# vcs enable
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config:2)# vcs floating-ip 192.168.209.23 /24
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config:2)# vcs device 2
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config:2-device:2)# interfaces management
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config:2-device:2)# priority 120
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config:2-device:2)# enable
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config:2-device:2)# exit
ACOS-2-ForcedStandby(config:2)# vcs reload

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System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no]:yes

Building configuration...
Write configuration to primary default startup-config
[OK]
Running configuration is saved
ACOS-2(config:2)#

vBlade Initial Configuration Example Using the GUI

1. Enable VRRP-A and configure the VRRP-A set ID and device ID.
a. Hover over System in the menu bar, then select VRRP-A. Ensure Global is selected under the
Settings Tab.
b. Under the General Fields section, select Enable for the VRRP-A Enable field and configure the
Device ID and Set ID by entering a device ID and set ID number in the respective fields.
c. Click OK.
2. Configure VCS General Settings:
a. Hover over System in the menu bar, then select aVCS and select Enable in the aVCS Enable
field.
b. Configure the management address for the virtual chassis.
Click +Add in the Floating IP Address section to add a Floating IP address row. In the IP
Address Type field, select IPv4 as the address type from the drop-down list, then enter
192.168.209.23 as the floating IP management address in the IP Address field, and enter /24 as
the subnet mask in the Netmask field.
c. Click OK.
3. Configure the aVCS device settings:
a. From the System >> aVCS >> Settings, select the Device tab.
b. Click New Device.
c. In the Device field, specify the device ID.
d. In the Priority field, specify the priority.
e. Select Enable in the Enable field.
f. Select Enable in the Management field.
g. Click Submit.
4. Reload the device:
a. From the System >> aVCS >> Device, select the Actions tab.
b. In the Reload Option drop-down list, select Reload and click Apply.

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Forcing vMaster Takeover

Repeat this procedure for each device.

Forcing vMaster Takeover

This topic describes how to force a vBlade to take over as the vMaster.

The following sections are covered in this topic:

• Forced vMaster Takeover Procedure

• Temp-Priority Value

Forced vMaster Takeover Procedure

If you need to force a vBlade to take over the vMaster role:

1. Either change the management context to the vBlade or log directly onto the vBlade.
To change the management context to the vBlade, use the vcs admin-session-connect command.
For example, to change management context to the vBlade device 2:
vcs admin-session-connect device 2

2. After you have changed the management context to the vBlade, or logged on directly to the vBlade,
use the vcs vmaster-take-over command. For example:
vcs vmaster-take-over 215

You are required to specify a temp-priority value (215 in this example). Unless you use this com-
mand on more than one vBlade, it does not matter which value within the range 1-255 you specify.
(See Temp-Priority Value.)

Temp-Priority Value
This command does not change the configured VCS priority on the vBlade. The command only tempo-
rarily overrides the configured priority.

If you enter this command on only one vBlade, you can specify any value within the valid range (1-255).
The takeover occurs regardless of priority settings on the current vMaster

If you enter the vcs vmaster-take-over command on more than one vBlade, the device on which you
enter the highest temp-priority value becomes the vMaster

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If you enter the same temp-priority value on more than one vBlade, the same parameters used for initial
vMaster election are used to select the new vMaster:

• The device with the highest configured VCS priority is selected. (This is the priority configured by
the priority command at the configuration level for the VCS device.)
• If there is a tie (more than one of the devices has the same highest configured VCS priority), then
the device with the lowest device ID is selected.

In either case, the new vMaster is selected from among only the vBlades on which you enter the vcs
vmaster-take-over command.

Determining a Device’s VCS ID

When you log onto the virtual chassis or onto an individual device in the chassis, the device’s VCS ID is
not apparent, unless you modified the device’s hostname to indicate the device ID.

To determine a device’s VCS ID, use the show vcs summary command. The device you are logged onto
is indicated with an asterisk in the State column of the Members section.

• If you are logged directly onto a device through its management interface or a data interface, the
asterisk indicates the device.
• If you are logged onto the floating IP address of the virtual chassis, the asterisk indicates the
vMaster.
(This is true unless you changed the device context of the management session. In this case, you
are logged onto the vBlade to which you changed the device context. See Virtual Chassis Manage-
ment Interface (Floating IP Address).)

The following example indicates that the device you are logged onto is VCS device 1, indicated by the
asterisk for device ID 1 in the “Members” section of the output:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1]# show vcs summary

VCS Chassis:
VCS Enabled: Yes
Chassis ID: 1
Multicast IP: 224.0.0.210
Multicast Port: 41217
Version: 4.0.1.b159

Members(* means local device):

ID State Priority IP:Port Location

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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 vMaster(*) 0 192.168.216.201:41216 Local
2 vBlade 0 192.168.216.202:41216 Remote
Total: 2

In the GUI, you can view this information in the main header. Look for this section in the header:

The Device Context field shows that you are currently working on device 1 in the chassis. In addition,
the field on the left indicates that this device (the local device, indicated by the asterisk) is the vMaster.

Viewing VCS Information

This topic contains the following sections:

• CLI

• GUI

CLI
Use the show vcs summary command to view global virtual chassis parameters and the current role
(vMaster or vBlade) of each device in the virtual chassis:

Use the show vcs images command to view the installed VCS-capable ACOS software image:

ACOS# show vcs images

Image Name Type
aximage_4_0_0_500.tar.gz hd_pri
aximage_2_7_0-P2_53.tar.gz hd_sec
-------- ext

GUI
From the GUI, navigate to System >> aVCS >> Settings. Click on the Statistics tab, then select
aVCS Summary from the drop-down list. The resulting page shows general VCS statistics and avail-
able aVCS-capable images on the device.

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Also from the GUI, navigate to System >> aVCS >> Settings, then click on the aVCS Deployment
Summary tab to view information about your virtual chassis deployment.

VCS CLI-Session Management

This topic contains the following sections:

• CLI Message for Commands That Affect Only the Local Device

• Option To Configure VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active

• Option to Disable Syncing of SNMP sysContact OID

• vMaster Maintenance Mode

CLI Message for Commands That Affect Only the Local Device
This release provides an option that displays a message when you enter a configuration command that
applies to only the local device. When this option is enabled, a message is displayed if you enter a con-
figuration command that affects only the local device, and the command does not explicitly indicate
the device.

This section contains the following sub-sections:

• Local Device

• Message Example

• Notes

NOTE: This enhancement is enabled by default and can not be disabled.

Local Device
The “local device” is the device your CLI session is on.

• If you log directly onto one of the devices in the virtual chassis, that device is the local device. For
example, if you log on through the management IP address of a vBlade, that vBlade is the local
device.
• If you change the device context to another ACOS device, that device becomes the local device.

• If you log onto the virtual chassis’ floating IP address, the vMaster is the local device.

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Message Example
The following command sets an aging time for learned MAC entries:

ACOS(config)# mac-age-time 444

This operation applied to device 1

This type of configuration change is device-specific. However, the command does not specify the
device ID to which to apply the configuration change. Therefore, the change is applied to the local
device and the output message displays the device ID results. In this example, the local device is device
1 in the VCS virtual chassis.

The message is not necessary if you explicitly specify the device, and therefore is not displayed:

ACOS(config)# device-context 2
ACOS(config)# mac-age-time 444 device 2

Notes
• For commands that access the configuration level for a specific configuration item, the message
is displayed only for the command that accesses the configuration level. For example:
ACOS(config)# interface ethernet 2
This operation applied to device 1
ACOS(config-if:ethernet1/2)# ip address 1.1.1.1 /24
ACOS(config-if:ethernet1/2)#

The message is not displayed after the ip address command is entered, because the message is
already displayed after the interface ethernet 2 command is entered.
The same is true for commands at the configuration level for a routing protocol. The message is
displayed only for the command that accesses the configuration level for the protocol.
• In most cases, the message also is displayed following clear commands for device-specific
items. An exception is clear commands for routing information. The message is not displayed
following these commands.
• The message is not displayed after show commands.

Option To Configure VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active

This section contains the following sub-sections:

• Overview of VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active

• VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active Configuration Example

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• VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active and vMaster Takeover

Overview of VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active

Master affinity to VRRP-A Active enables the vMaster device in a virtual chassis to failover when the
Active device in a VRRP-A VRID fails over to a Standby device. When the Standby device becomes
Active, it will also act as the vMaster device in the virtual chassis (Figure 13).

FIGURE 13 VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active

In this topology, device 1 is the Active device in the VRID. When it fails over, device 2 will become the
Active device, as it has the next highest priority. Device 4, which is currently the vMaster in the virtual
chassis and is configured with VRID affinity, will follow the update in VRRP-A and switch to device 2 as
the vMaster.

This ensures that the device assuming the master configuration also serves as the active data path.
Configuring the VRID affinity causes the vMaster to stay with a selected VRID. This capability provides
deterministic behavior on the location of the VCS master and the unit processing traffic for a particular
VRRP-A VRID. It also provides better control to effectively utilize available bandwidth and facilitates
troubleshooting efforts.

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VCS CLI-Session Management

VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active Configuration Example

To enable a vMaster failover to the Active device, the shared partition is configured to follow the Active
device on a specified VRID (device running VRRP-A). On each device that is part of the VCS cluster,
including the Active device, issue the affinity-vrrp-a-vrid command. See vcs device for more infor-
mation.

The following example snippets configure VRID affinity for four devices in a virtual chassis, based on
the example topology in Figure 13:

NOTE: The affinity-vrrp-a-vrid must be explicitly configured on all devices

for which you want to enable this feature, and the VRID must also be the
same for all devices.

!
...
vcs device 1
priority 225
enable
affinity-vrrp-a-vrid 0
!
vcs device 2
priority 200
enable
affinity-vrrp-a-vrid 0
!
vcs device 3
priority 150
enable
affinity-vrrp-a-vrid 0
vcs device 4
priority 175
enable
affinity-vrrp-a-vrid 0

!
vcs local-device 1
...

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VCS Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active and vMaster Takeover

VRID affinity and forced vMaster takeover (Forced vMaster Takeover) cannot be used together; you will
see the following message if you try to configure vMaster takeover with VRID affinity configured:

Take over vMastership: VCS: vmaster take over is not allowed in affinity vrid state

Once VRID affinity is configured, the vMaster will continue to follow the active device in the VRID using
the existing device priorities. To change the priorities, you must issue the vcs reload command for the
new priorities to take effect.

vMaster takeover can be used to assign a new vMaster without regard to existing priorities; hence it is
not allowed in conjunction with VRID affinity.

Option to Disable Syncing of SNMP sysContact OID

By default, the SNMP sysContact OID value is synchronized among all member ACOS devices of an
VCS virtual chassis. The current release provides an option to disable this synchronization, on an indi-
vidual device basis.

NOTE: After configuring this option for an ACOS device, if you disable VCS on
that device, the running-config is automatically updated to continue
using the same sysContact value you specified for the device. You do not
need to reconfigure the sysContact on the device after disabling VCS.

The following example shows an example; to disable syncing of SNMP contact snmp-admin on VCS
device 2:

ACOS(config)# no snmp-server contact snmp-admin on-device 2

vMaster Maintenance Mode

In maintenance mode, the vMaster can briefly be placed into maintenance without triggering a failover
of the vMaster role to a vBlade. During the maintenance window, the vBlades continue to operate, with-
out attempting to failover to the vMaster role.

NOTE: For more information, see the vcs vMaster-maintenance command.

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Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis

This chapter describes how to add a configured ACOS device to a running virtual chassis.

CAUTION: By default, when you add a configured ACOS device to a running virtual
chassis, the device-specific configuration is retained but the common
configuration (SLB and so on) is replaced by the vMaster.

To allow the vMaster to also replace the new device’s device-specific

configuration, use the disable-merge option when you reload VCS.

NOTE: If a device has already been a member of a virtual chassis, the device
can not be added to a new virtual chassis.

The following topics are covered in this chapter:

• Overview of Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis

• Procedure for Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis

Overview of Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis

The following Figure 14 shows the process that occurs when you add an ACOS device that is already
configured to a virtual chassis.

NOTE: The configuration merge behavior described in this section is the default
behavior. If you want the vMaster to also remove the device-specific con-
figuration information from the new device, use the disable-merge
option when you reload VCS.

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FIGURE 14 Previously Configured Device Added to Virtual Chassis and Merged with Virtual Chassis

The following process occurs when you add a previously configured ACOS device to a virtual chassis:

1. The previously configured ACOS device (labeled “Configured Device” in the figure) is connected to
the virtual chassis network at Layer 2.
An admin then configures VCS settings on the previously configured device and reloads VCS.
The VCS reload causes the device to send its VCS configuration and its device-specific configura-
tion to the vMaster.
2. The vMaster applies the VCS configuration and device-specific configuration to its virtual chassis
configuration.
The vMaster then synchronizes the device’s configuration to the other vBlades as part of the nor-
mal configuration synchronization process.
3. The vMaster sends its running-config to the device.
4. On the device, the vMaster running-config is saved as the device’s startup-config. To complete its
VCS reload, the device loads its new startup-config. The device is now another vBlade in the virtual
chassis.

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Procedure for Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis

Procedure for Adding a Device to a Virtual Chassis

To add an ACOS device that already has a configuration to a VCS chassis:

1. Make sure the virtual chassis is running:

a. Log onto the floating IP address (management address) of the virtual chassis.
b. View the virtual chassis status using the show vcs summary command
2. Connect the configured ACOS device to the Layer 2 network that contains the other virtual chassis
members.
3. Configure VCS settings on the new device and reload VCS.
The following commands show how to configure VCS settings on a configured ACOS device to be
added to a virtual chassis, and reload VCS to activate the VCS configuration:
ACOS# configure
ACOS(config)# vrrp-a common
ACOS(config-common)# set-id 1
ACOS(config-common)# device-id 3
ACOS(config-common_# enable
ACOS-Active(config-common)# exit
ACOS-Active(config)# vcs enable
ACOS-Active(config:3)# vcs floating-ip 192.168.100.169 /24
ACOS-Active(config:3)# vcs device 3
ACOS-Active(config:3-device:3)# interface management
ACOS-Active(config:3-device:3)# priority 197
ACOS-Active(config:3-device:3)# enable
ACOS-Active(config:3-device:3)# exit
ACOS-Active(config:3)# vcs reload

Following the reload of VCS, the ACOS device joins the virtual chassis as a vBlade, and its configu-
ration information is migrated to the virtual chassis’ vMaster.
4. Verify that the device is now a member of the virtual chassis using the show vcs summary com-
mand.

NOTE: Do not use the disable-merge option when you reload VCS; this option is
used only when replacing an existing virtual chassis member with a new
device.

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Replacing a Device in a Virtual Chassis

By default, when you add an ACOS device to a virtual chassis that is already running, the device’s config-
uration information is migrated to the vMaster.

However, if you are replacing a member of the virtual chassis by removing the ACOS device from the
network and inserting another ACOS device of the same model, you may want the vMaster to migrate
the removed device’s configuration information to the new device. In this case, when you reload VCS on
the new device, make sure to use the disable-merge option:

The following commands configure VCS settings on a replacement ACOS device to be inserted into a
virtual chassis, and reload VCS to activate the VCS configuration:

ACOS# configure
ACOS(config)# vrrp-a common
ACOS(config-common)# set-id 1
ACOS(config-common)# device-id 3
ACOS(config-common)# enable
ACOS-Active(config-common)# exit
ACOS-Active(config)# vcs enable
ACOS-Active(config:3)# vcs floating-ip 192.168.100.169 /24
ACOS-Active(config:3)# vcs device 3
ACOS-Active(config:3-device:#)# interface management
ACOS-Active(config:3-device:3)# priority 197
ACOS-Active(config:3-device:3)# enable
ACOS(Active(config:3-device:3)# exit
ACOS-Active(config:3)# vcs reload disable-merge

Following the reload of VCS, the ACOS device joins the virtual chassis as a vBlade, and receives its con-
figuration information from the virtual chassis’ vMaster.

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Configuration Synchronization without Reload

This chapter has the following topics:

• Usage Summary

• VRRP-A with VCS Deployment Example

Usage Summary
You can use the Virtual Chassis System (VCS) feature to provide automated configuration synchroni-
zation in VRRP-A deployments, even if you do not plan to use any other VCS features. Use of VCS for
configuration synchronization provides the following benefits:

• VCS configuration synchronization is automatic and occurs in real time. Each configuration
change is synchronized to the other ACOS device(s) as soon as the change occurs.
• Reload is not required.

Figure 15 shows an example VRRP-A deployment that uses VCS for automated configuration synchro-
nization.

FIGURE 15 VCS Used for Automated Configuration Synchronization

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VRRP-A with VCS Deployment Example

This topic has the following sections:

• Commands on Device 1

• Commands on Device 2

NOTE: The following commands deploy the VRRP-A configuration shown in

Figure 15.

Commands on Device 1
The following commands configure the VRRP-A set ID and device ID, and enable VRRP-A on device 1:

ACOS-1# configure
ACOS-1(config)# vrrp-a common
ACOS-1(config-common)# set-id 1
ACOS-1(config-common)# device-id 1
ACOS-1(config-common)# enable
ACOS-1-Active(config-common)# exit
ACOS-1-Active(config)#

The following command enables VCS and configures the floating IP address, which is the management
address for the virtual chassis. The floating IP address must be in the same subnet as the ACOS
device’s management IP address or one of the device’s data interface IP addresses.

ACOS-1-Active(config)# vcs enable

ACOS-1-Active(config:1)# vcs floating-ip 192.168.209.23 /24

The following commands configure the VCS profile for the device.

ACOS-1-Active(config:1)# vcs device 1

ACOS-1-Active(config:1-device:1)# priority 110
ACOS-1-Active(config:1-device:1)# interface management
ACOS-1-Active(config:1-device:1)# interfaces ethernet 1
ACOS-1-Active(config:1-device:1)# enable
ACOS-1-Active(config:1-device:1)# exit

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The priority command helps identify this ACOS device as the preferred vMaster. Use a higher priority
value on this device than on the second device.

The interfaces commands identify interfaces that can be used by VCS. It is recommended to specify
more than one interface, to help ensure continued communication in case a link goes down.

The following commands save the changes and activate the VCS configuration.

ACOS-1-Active(config:1)# write memory

ACOS-1-Active(config:1)# vcs reload

Commands on Device 2
The following commands configure the VRRP-A set ID and device ID, and enable VRRP-A on device 2:

ACOS-2# configure
ACOS-2(config)# vrrp-a common
ACOS-2(config-common)# set-id 1
ACOS-2(config-common)# device-id 2
ACOS-2(config-common)# enable
ACOS-2(config-common)# exit
ACOS-2-Active(config)# vcs enable
ACOS-2-Active(config:2)# vcs floating-ip 192.168.209.23 /24
ACOS-2-Active(config:2)# vcs device 2
ACOS-2-Active(config:2-device:2)# priority 100
ACOS-2-Active(config:2-device:2)# interface management
ACOS-2-Active(config:2-device:2)# interface ethernet 1
ACOS-2-Active(config:2-device:2)# enable
ACOS-2-Active(config:2-device:2)# exit
ACOS-2-Active(config:2)# vcs reload

System configuration has been modified. Save? [yes/no]:yes

Building configuration...
Write configuration to primary default startup-config
[OK]
Running configuration is saved
ACOS-2-Active(config:2)#

NOTE: When you enter the vcs reload command on the second device, it
receives non-device-specific configuration information from the first

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device. This occurs if the first device already has become the vMaster for
the VCS virtual chassis.

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VCS CLI Commands

This chapter describes the commands used to configure Virtual Chassis System (VCS).

The following topics are covered in this chapter:

• VCS Operational Commands

• VCS Configuration Commands

• VCS Show Commands

NOTE: VCS reload is required to place any VCS-related configuration changes

into effect.

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VCS Operational Commands

This section describes the VCS operational commands.

NOTE: These commands are used to operate VCS, but do not change any VCS
configuration settings. To configure VCS, refer to VCS Configuration
Commands.

The following operational commands are covered in this section:

• device-context

• vcs admin-session-connect

• vcs disable

• vcs enable

• vcs vMaster-maintenance

• vcs vmaster-take-over

device-context
Description Change the context of the CLI session from the vMaster to a vBlade, in order
to configure the vBlade.

This command is used to configure device-specific and routing settings for

an ACOS device in a VCS environment. To configure VCS-related settings for
a device in a VCS environment, use the vcs device command.
This command can also be applied to certain non-routing configuration
commands (for example, LACP).

NOTE: This command replaces the router device-context command in

previous releases.

Syntax device-context DeviceID

Replace DeviceID with the ID of the target device. The target device is the
device you plan to access. The acceptable values for this parameter will vary
depending on your specific hardware platform.

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Default By default, the vMaster for the virtual chassis is the context of the manage-
ment session.

Mode Configuration mode

Example The following example changes the configuration context to device 3 in a vir-
tual chassis, and changes the hostname of that device to “ACOS3:”

ACOS(config)# device-context 3
All the following configuration will go to device 3
ACOS(config)# hostname ACOS3
ACOS3(config)#

vcs admin-session-connect
Description Open an SSH admin session with a device in a VCS virtual chassis.

Syntax vcs admin-session-connect device DeviceID

Replace DeviceID with the ID of the target device. The target device is the
device you plan to access. The acceptable values for this parameter will vary
depending on your specific hardware platform.

Default By default, the CLI session is on the device you logged onto.

Mode Global Config (on vMaster only)

Usage This command does not apply to device-specific configuration commands.

To enter device-specific configuration commands on another device, use the
device-context command instead.

Entering this command on the vMaster creates an SSH connection to the

vBlade, without a password prompt. After the connection is established, you
can enter configuration commands to take effect on the vBlade.

While the connection to the vBlade is in effect, configuration commands

cannot be entered directly on the vBlade through any other management
connections.

If an SSH security warning about the RSA fingerprint is displayed:

• If the RSA fingerprint is correct, enter yes.

• If the RSA fingerprint does not match, enter no. Someone may be
attempting to spoof the device in order to gain information about the
system or network access.

Example The following command changes the CLI session to VCS device 2. In this
example, this is the first time the command has been used to access
device 2.

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ACOS-device1(config)# vcs admin-session-connect device 2

spawn ssh -l admin 192.168.100.126
The authenticity of host '192.168.100.126 (192.168.100.126)' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added '192.168.100.126' (RSA) to the list of known hosts.
Last login: Thu Feb 23 03:33:37 2017 from 10.254.101.80

ACOS system is ready now.

[type ? for help]

TIS-Standby-vBlade[1/2]>enable
Password:***
Last login: Thu Jul 22 21:06:46 2010 from 192.168.3.77
ACOS-device2#

At the Password prompt, enter the password for the admin account on the
target device.

Example The following example shows the CLI response if you accidentally try to
switch to the device you are already on:

ACOS-device1(config)# vcs admin-session-connect device 1

Unnecessary to do such operation to manage local device

vcs disable
Description Disable VCS on the device.

Syntax vcs disable

Default N/A. This is an operational command rather than a configuration command.

Mode Privileged EXEC (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage In addition to disabling VCS on the current device, you can also use device-
context to disable VCS on another device. See examples below.

Example The following example disables VCS on the current device:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1]# vcs disable

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1]#

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Example The following example switches to device 2 from device 1, then disables VCS
on device 2:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1]# configure
ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# device-context 2
All the following configuration will go to device 2
ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:2)# vcs disable
ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:2)#

vcs enable
Description Enable VCS on the device.
Syntax vcs enable

Default N/A. This is an operational command rather than a configuration command.

Mode Privileged EXEC (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage After you enter the vcs enable command, you must enter the vcs reload
command to place any VCS configuration changes into effect and activate
the feature.

Before using this command, many of the VCS commands are not available
from the CLI.
The following example shows the commands available prior to running the
vcs enable command:

ACOS(config)# vcs ?
failure-retry-count VCS retry count after fails to join the chassis
vMaster-maintenance During this period, vMaster can leave and come back to
be vMaster again
enable enable VCS
disable disable VCS
ACOS(config)# vcs

In addition to enabling VCS on the current device, you can also use device-
context to enable VCS on another device. See examples below.

Example The following example enables VCS on the current device:

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ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1]# vcs enable

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1]#

Example The following example switches to device 2 from device 1, then enables VCS
on device 2:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1]# configure
ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# device-context 2
All the following configuration will go to device 2
ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:2)# vcs enable
ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:2)#

vcs vMaster-maintenance
Description Change the length of the vMaster maintenance window.

Syntax [no] vcs vMaster-maintenance seconds

Replace seconds with the length of the maintenance window. You can specify
0-3600 seconds.

Default The default is 60 seconds.

Mode Privileged EXEC (on vBlade); Privileged EXEC and Global Config (on vMaster)

Usage VCS option that allows the vMaster to briefly be placed into maintenance,
without triggering failover of the vMaster role to a vBlade. During the mainte-
nance window, the vBlades continue to operate, without attempting to
failover to the vMaster role.

vcs vmaster-take-over
Description Force vMaster re-election, by temporarily changing a device’s VCS priority.
This command is useful for changing a vBlade to vMaster without changing
the VCS configuration profile for either device.

Syntax [no] vcs vmaster-take-over temp-priority

Replace temp-priority with the priority value, 1-255.

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Default N/A

Mode Privileged EXEC (on vBlade); Privileged EXEC and Global Config (on vMaster)

Usage This command does not change the configured VCS priority on the device.
The command only temporarily overrides the configured priority.

If you enter this command on only one vBlade, you can specify any value
within the valid range (1-255). The takeover occurs regardless of priority
settings on the current vMaster.
If you enter the vcs vmaster-take-over command on more than one device,
the device on which you enter the highest temp-priority value becomes the
vMaster.

If you enter the same temp-priority value on more than one device, the same
parameters used for initial vMaster election are used to select the new
vMaster:

• The device with the highest configured VCS priority is selected. (This is
the priority configured by the priority command at the configuration
level for the VCS device.)
• If there is a tie (more than one of the devices has the same highest con-
figured VCS priority), then the device with the lowest device ID is
selected.
In either case, the new vMaster is selected from among only the devices on
which you enter the vcs vmaster-take-over command.

Example The following commands change the management context to a vBlade, then
force the device to become the vMaster:

ACOS-1# vcs admin-session-connect device 2

spawn ssh -l admin 192.168.100.126
The authenticity of host '192.168.100.126 (192.168.100.126)' can't be established.
RSA key fingerprint is ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no)? yes
Warning: Permanently added '192.168.100.126' (RSA) to the list of known hosts.
Password:
Last login: Wed Aug 11 20:27:24 2010 from 192.168.3.74

[type ? for help]

ACOS>enable
Password:********
ACOS-2#vcs vmaster-take-over 255

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VCS Configuration Commands

This section describes the VCS configuration commands.

These commands are used to configure specific VCS settings, and are available after entering the
device-context global configuration command.

The following commands are available:

• vcs dead-interval

• vcs debug

• vcs device

• vcs failure-retry-count

• vcs floating-ip

• vcs floating-ipv6

• vcs force-wait-interval

• vcs discovery-mode

• vcs multicast-ip

• vcs multicast-ipv6

• vcs multicast-port

• vcs reload

• vcs ssl-enable

• vcs time-interval

• vcs unicast-ip

• vcs unicast-ipv6

• vcs unicast-port

• vcs vmaster-maintenance

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vcs dead-interval
Description Configure the number of seconds vBlade devices wait for a keepalive mes-
sage from the vMaster, before assuming the vMaster is unavailable and trig-
gering vMaster re-election.

Syntax [no] vcs dead-interval seconds

Replace seconds with the maximum number of seconds to wait for a

keepalive message from the vMaster before triggering vMaster re-election.
You can specify 5-60 seconds.

Default 10

Mode Global Config (vMaster only)

Example The following example sets the interval to 20 seconds:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# vcs dead-interval 20

vcs debug
Description Enable VCS debugging.
Syntax [no] vcs debug {daemon | election | info | vblade | vmaster}

Parameter Description
daemon Enables debugging for the VCS process.
election Enables debugging for vMaster election.
info Enables display of informational messages in the debugging
output.
vblade Enables debugging for vBlade-related operations.
vmaster Enables debugging for vMaster-related operations.

Default Disabled

Mode Privileged EXEC (on vBlade); Privileged EXEC and Global Config (on vMaster)

Example The following commands enable debugging for VCS vMaster operations, and
display the output:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# vcs debug vmaster

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# show vcs debug
Debugging switches: vmaster,
Debugging Buffer Size: 8 MB

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2010/08/02 10:46:02, [vMaster], vBlade 0, msg loop, received msg 21

2010/08/02 10:46:02, [vMaster], vBlade 0, msg loop, sent msg 20
...

vcs device
Description Add a device to an existing VCS chassis, and configure VCS-related settings
for the specified device.

To configure device-specific or routing settings for an ACOS device in an VCS

environment, use the device-context command.

Syntax [no] vcs device device-id

Replace device-id with the device ID. The acceptable values for this
parameter will vary depending on your specific hardware platform.
This command changes the CLI to the configuration level for the specified
VCS device, where the following VCS-related commands are available.

Command Description
[no] affinity-vrrp-a-vrid Configures a vMaster failover to the Active device on a specified VRID
vrid-group (device running VRRP-A). Use this command on each device that is part of
the VCS cluster, including the Active device.

NOTE: For more information about this fea-

ture, see Option To Configure VCS
Master Affinity to VRRP-A Active.
[no] enable Enables VCS on the device.

VCS is disabled by default.

[no] interfaces Device interfaces used for VCS vMaster election traffic. You can specify up
{ethernet portnum | to 6 election interfaces.
management |
trunk trunk-num | For vMaster election to work, the other devices in the virtual chassis must be
ve ve-num}
able to reach the device on the specified interface(s).
[no] priority num Priority of this device for vMaster election, 1-255. Higher priority values are
preferred over lower ones.

The default priority is 0 (not set).

[no] unicast-port Protocol port used to create TCP connection between the vMaster and
portnum vBlade. This connection is used for configuration synchronization.

The default unicast port is 41216.

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Default No VCS devices are configured by default. When you add a VCS device, its
parameters have the default values described in the table above.

Mode Global Config (vMaster only)

Usage The election interfaces for devices in an VCS virtual chassis must be in the
shared partition. Use of an L3V private partition’s interface as a VCS election
interface is not supported.

Example The following commands add device 3 to an existing VCS chassis. The man-
agement interface will be used for VCS election traffic and its priority is 3.

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# vcs device 3

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1-device:3)# interfaces management
ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1-device:3)# priority 3
ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1-device:3)# enable

vcs failure-retry-count
Description Configure the maximum number of retries for a VCS device to join a virtual
chassis.
Syntax [no] vcs failure-retry-count {retries | forever}

Parameter Description
retries Maximum number of retries for a VCS device to join a virtual
chassis. You can specify 0-255.
forever Specify an unlimited amount of retries for a VCS device to join a
virtual chassis.

Default 2

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage If the device is unable to join the virtual chassis after all allowed retries are
used, VCS stops on the device. In this case, you use the vcs reload com-
mand to restart VCS on the device.

Example The following example configures an ACOS device to try 3 times to join a vir-
tual chassis:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# vcs failure-retry-count 3

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vcs floating-ip
Description Configure the management IP address for the VCS virtual chassis.

Syntax [no] vcs floating-ip ipaddr {subnet-mask | /mask-length}

Specifies the IP address and subnet mask.

Default Not set

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Example The following command sets the management address for the VCS virtual
chassis to 192.168.1.69/24:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# vcs floating-ip 192.168.1.69 /24

vcs floating-ipv6
Description Configure an IPv6 management IP address for the VCS virtual chassis.

Syntax [no] vcs floating-ipv6 ipv6-addr/mask-length

Specifies the IP address and subnet mask.

Default Not set

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Example The following command sets the management address for the VCS virtual
chassis to the IPv6 address fc00:0:3::23:a/24:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# vcs floating-ipv6 fc00:0:3::23:a/24

vcs force-wait-interval
Description Delay the start of VCS following a reload/reboot.

Syntax [no] vcs force-wait-interval seconds

Replace seconds with the number of seconds (5-240) to wait following a a

reload or reboot to start VCS.

Default 5

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Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage This command can be useful if you use staggered upgrade.

Example The following example configures the device to wait 10 seconds before start-
ing the reload or reboot:

ACOS-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# vcs force-wait-interval 10

vcs discovery-mode
Description Supports L3 communication in Scaleout.

Syntax [no] vcs discovery-mode ?

Replace ? with unicast, Mcast, or Mixed.

Parameter Description
Unicast Enables VCS Unicast election mode.
Mcast Enables VCS Multicast election mode.
Mixed Enables both VCS Multicast/Unicast election mode.

Default Mcast

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage This command is useful for establishing connectivity between L3 to L2

CGNAT nodes.

NOTE: If users only run “vcs discovery-mode Unicast”, then it removes vcs
interface commands. It the “vcs discovery-mode mcast/vcs discov-
ery-mode mixed”, then it reserves vcs interface commands.

Example The following example configures vcs to send its heartbeat to multicast elec-
tion address for per 3 seconds, after support unicast election, AX sends a
heartbeat to UDP unicast address. VCS also can be running if ax is in a differ-
ent subnet and there are routers in between them.

Ipv4 :
vrrp-a common
device-id 2
set-id 7
!
device-context 1
vcs enable
!

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device-context 2
vcs enable
!

vcs device 2
enable

vcs device 1
enable
vcs unicast-election
port 12000
members
ip-address 2.2.2.115
ip-address 2.2.2.116

vcs discovery-mode Unicast

interface ethernet 1/2

enable
ip address 2.2.2.115 255.255.255.0

interface ethernet 2/2

enable
ip address 2.2.2.116 255.255.255.0

Ipv6:

vrrp-a common
device-id 1
set-id 7
!
device-context 1
vcs enable
!
device-context 2
vcs enable
!
vcs unicast-election
port 12005
members
ipv6-address 3000::115 use-mgmt-port
ipv6-address 3000::116 use-mgmt-port
!

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vcs discovery-mode Unicast

multi-config enable
!
device-context 1
interface management
ip address 192.168.105.116 255.255.255.0
ip default-gateway 192.168.105.1
ipv6 address 3000::116/64
!
device-context 2
interface management
ip address 192.168.105.115 255.255.255.0
ip default-gateway 192.168.105.1
ipv6 address 3000::115/64
-Active-vMaster[1/1](config:1)# vcs force-wait-interval 10

vcs multicast-ip
Description Configure the multicast IPv4 address used for VCS vMaster election.

Syntax [no] vcs multicast-ip ipv4-addr

Replace ipv4-addr with the multicast address.

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Default 224.0.0.210

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage To configure the protocol port, see vcs multicast-port.

vcs multicast-ipv6
Description Configure the multicast IPv6 address used for VCS vMaster election.

Syntax [no] vcs multicast-ip ipv6-addr

Replace ipv6-addr with the multicast address.

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage To configure the protocol port, see vcs multicast-port.

vcs multicast-port
Description Configure the protocol port used for VCS vMaster election.

Syntax [no] vcs multicast-port portnum

Replace portnum with the protocol port number, 1-65535.

Default 41217

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage To configure the multicast address, see vcs multicast-ip.

vcs reload
Description Reload the VCS process.

Syntax vcs reload [disable-merge]

The disable-merge option prevents configuration information from being

migrated from the vBlades to the vMaster following the reload. This option is
useful when you are replacing a virtual chassis vBlade by removing an ACOS
device and replacing it with another ACOS device of the same model. In this
case, the option allows the replacement device to be configured by the
vMaster.
After the initial configuration migration, configuration synchronization
operates normally.

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Without this option, when you add an ACOS device to a virtual chassis that is
already running, the device’s configuration information is migrated to the
vMaster

Default N/A

Mode Global Config (vMaster only)

Usage VCS reload is required to place any VCS-related configuration changes into
effect.

vcs ssl-enable
Description Enable or disable SSL for configuration synchronization traffic between VCS
devices.
Syntax [no] vcs ssl-enable

Default Disabled

Mode Global Config (vMaster only)

vcs time-interval
Description Number of seconds between keepalive messages from the vMaster to
vBlades.

Syntax [no] vcs time-interval seconds

Replace seconds with the number of seconds between transmission of

keepalive messages from the vMaster to vBlades. You can specify 1-60
seconds.

Default 3

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

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vcs unicast-ip
Description Configure the multicast IPv6 address used for VCS unicast - election.

Syntax [no] vcs unicast-ip ipv6-addr

Replace ipv6-addr with the unicast address.

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage To configure the protocol port, see VCS unicast -port.

vcs unicast-ipv6
Description Configure the unicast IPv6 address used for VCS unicast election.

Syntax [no] vcs unicast-ip ipv6-addr

Replace ipv6-addr with the unicast address.

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage To configure the protocol port.

vcs unicast-port
Description Configure the protocol port used for VCS unicast election.

Syntax [no] vcs unicast-port portnum

Replace portnum with the protocol port number, 1-65535.

Default 41217

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

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vcs vmaster-maintenance
Description Briefly place the vMaster into maintenance mode without triggering a failover
to a vBlade.

Syntax vcs vmaster-maintenance period

Replace period with the amount of time (0-3600 seconds) that the vMaster is
placed into maintenance mode without triggering a failover.

Default 60 seconds

Mode Global Config (vMaster or vBlade)

Usage The vMaster can be placed into maintenance mode without triggering a
failover to a vBlade. During this maintenance window, the vBlades continue
to operate without attempting to take over the vMaster role. At the end of the
configurable maintenance period, the vMaster returns to the vMaster role.

VCS Show Commands

This section describes the VCS-specific show commands:

• show vcs debug

• show vcs images

• show vcs stat

• show vcs summary

NOTE: This section only contains VCS-related show commands beginning with
“show vcs.” Many other show commands can be used in a VCS context
by specifying the specific ID of a device in the virtual chassis.

NOTE: For more information, see the “Show Commands” chapter in the Com-
mand Line Interface Reference, or type “?” at the CLI prompt.

show vcs debug

Description Display VCS debug messages.

Syntax show vcs debug [old_first]

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Use the old_first option to list messages beginning with the most recent.
Without this option, the list begins with the oldest message in the buffer.

Mode All

show vcs images

Description Display the VCS-capable software images stored on the ACOS device.

NOTE: Only images that support VCS are listed. To list all images, use the
show bootimage command instead.

Syntax show vcs images

Mode All

Example The following command shows the VCS-capable software images stored on
the device:

ACOS# show vcs images

Image Name Type
aximage_4_0_1_159.tar.gz hd_pri
aximage_4_0_0_536.tar.gz hd_sec
-------- cf_pri
-------- cf_sec
-------- ext

The following table describes the fields in the command output.

Field Description
Image Name Name of the software image.
Type Location of the image:

• hd_pri – Primary image area of the hard drive or Solid State Drive (SSD)

• hd_sec – Secondary image area of the hard drive or SSD

• cf_pri – Primary image area of the compact flash drive

• cf_sec – Secondary image area of the compact flash drive

• ext – Extended image, used for staged upgrades during which multiple ACOS software
versions run in the virtual chassis.

Note: If dashes (--------) are displayed instead of an image name, the image does not support
VCS.

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show vcs stat

Description Display VCS statistics information.

Syntax show vcs stat

Mode All

Example The following command shows statistics of the VCS information:

ACOS# show vcs stat

Chassis-ID: 8
time-interval: 3
failure-retry-count: 2
force-wait-interval: 5
SSL-enabled: No
Multicast-IP: 224.0.0.210
Multicast-Port: 41217
Unicast-elect-Port: 12000
Unicast-election-members: 2
Current discover mode : unicast
Member-IP: 192.168.105.127
Member-IP: 192.168.105.121
Dev-ID: 1
Dev-Prio: 0
Unicast-Port: 41216
Interfaces: management
Enabled: Yes
Local-Dev-ID: 1

show vcs summary

Description Display VCS virtual chassis information.

Syntax show vcs summary

Mode All

Example The following commands show summary of the VCS information:

ACOS# show vcs summary

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VCS Chassis:
VCS Enabled: Yes
Chassis ID: 8
Unicast Election port: 12000
Multicast IP: 224.0.0.210
Multicast Port: 41217
Current discover mode: unicast
Version: 4.1.4-GR1-P1.b19

Members(* means local device):

ID State Priority IP:Port Location
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 vBlade 0 192.168.105.121:41216 Remote
2 vMaster(*) 0 192.168.105.127:41216 Local
Total: 2

ACOS# show vcs summary

VCS Chassis:
VCS Enabled: Yes
Chassis ID: 8
Unicast Election port: 12000
Multicast IP: 224.0.0.210
Multicast Port: 41217
Current discover mode: unicast
Version: 4.1.4-GR1-P1.b19

Members(* means local device):

ID State Priority IP:Port Location

________________________________________
1 vBlade(*) 0 3000:::116 41216 Local
2 vMaster 0 3000::115:41216 Remote

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The following table describes the fields in the command output.

Field Description
VCS Chassis Fields
VCS Enabled State of the VCS feature, Enabled or Disabled.
Chassis ID ID of the virtual chassis.
Unicast Election Port L3 unicast election mode support both data and management port.
Multicast IP Multicast IP address used for VCS vMaster election.
Multicast Port Protocol port used for vMaster election.
Current discover Specify Discover-mode as Unicast, Mcast or Mixed election mode. To run unicast
Mode mode user must specify Discover-mode is Unicast (vcs discovery-mode Unicast )
and provide Unicast neighbor configurations.
Version Software version and build running on the ACOS device.
Members Fields
ID VCS ID of the member device.
State Current role of the device, vMaster or vBlade.

NOTE: If you enter this command in a session that is logged onto the VCS floating IP
address, the “local device” is always the vMaster, unless you change the context ID of
the management session.
Priority vMaster election priority of the device.

NOTE: This is the admin-configured priority value, not the dynamic priority assigned
by VCS.
IP:Port IP address and protocol port used for configuration synchronization with the member
device.
Location Indicates whether this is the device context on which you entered the show vcs sum-
mary command:

• Local – This is the device context on which you entered the command.

• Remote – This is not the device context on which you entered the command.

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ACOS 5.1.0 CONFIGURING ACOS VIRTUAL CHASSIS SYSTEMS 7 DECEMBER 2019