HP FlexFabric 5700 series Configuration Manual page 49

Figure 16 eIRF application scenario
eIRF provides the following benefits:
Simplified topology—Devices in an eIRF system appear as one node. For redundancy and load
•
balancing, a downstream or upstream device can connect to the eIRF system through multichassis
link aggregation. Together with link aggregation, eIRF creates a loop-free Layer 2 network. The
spanning tree feature is not needed among devices in the eIRF system or on the link aggregations.
eIRF also simplifies the Layer 3 network topology because it reduces the number of routing peers.
The network topology does not change when a device is added to or removed from the eIRF system.
Single point of management—An eIRF system is accessible at a single IP address on the network.
•
You can use this IP address to log in through any network port to manage all the devices in the
system. For an SNMP NMS, an eIRF system is one managed network node.
45