Global Management of Member Switches in a Virtual ChassisThe interconnected member switches in a Virtual Chassis configuration operate as asingle network entity. You run EZSetup only once to specify the identification parametersfor the master, and these parameters implicitly apply to all members of the Virtual Chassisconfiguration. You can view the Virtual Chassis configuration as a single device in theJ-Web user interface and apply various device management functions to all membersof the Virtual Chassis configuration.The serial console port and dedicated out-of-band management port that are on therear panel of the individual switches have global virtual counterparts when the switchesare interconnected in a Virtual Chassis configuration. A virtual console allows you toconnect to the master by connecting a terminal directly to the console port of any memberswitch. A virtual management Ethernet (VME) interface allows you to remotely managethe Virtual Chassis configuration by connecting to the out-of-band management port ofany member switch through a single IP address. See “Understanding Global Managementof a Virtual Chassis Configuration” on page 699.High Availability Through Redundant Routing EnginesA Virtual Chassis configuration has a master and a backup, each of which has a RoutingEngine. These redundant Routing Engines handle all routing protocol processes andcontrol the Virtual Chassis configuration. See “High Availability Features for J-EX SeriesSwitches Overview” on page 18 for further information on redundant Routing Enginesand additional high availability features.Adaptability as an Access Switch or Distribution SwitchA Virtual Chassis configuration supports a variety of user environments, because it canbe composed of different models of J-EX4200 switches, with either 24 or 48 accessports, and with these having either full (24 or 48 ports) or partial (8 ports) Power overEthernet (PoE) port capabilities. You can select different switch models to supportvarious functions. For example, you might set up one Virtual Chassis access switchconfiguration composed of the full PoE models to support users sitting in cubiclesequipped with PCs and VoIP phones. You could set up another Virtual Chassisconfiguration with partial PoE models to support the company's internal servers andconfigure one more Virtual Chassis configuration with partial PoE models to support thecompany's external servers. Alternatively, the Virtual Chassis configuration can be usedas a distribution switch. For this type of deployment, you might select the J-EX4200-24Fmodel to connect the distribution switch to multiple access switches located in differentbuildings on the campus.RelatedDocumentationUnderstanding Virtual Chassis Components on page 694•• Understanding How the Master in a Virtual Chassis Configuration Is Elected on page 698• Understanding Virtual Chassis J-EX4200 Switch Version Compatibility on page 705• Understanding Virtual Chassis Configurations and Link Aggregation on page 702• Understanding Virtual Chassis Configuration on page 704• J-EX4200 Switch Models on page 26693Chapter 43: Virtual Chassis—Overview, Components, and Configurations
