Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (Frrp); Protocol Overview; Ring Status - Dell Force10 Z9000 Configuration Manual

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Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)

FRRP provides fast network convergence to Layer 2 switches interconnected in a ring topology, such as a metropolitan area network
(MAN) or large campuses. FRRP is similar to what can be achieved with the spanning tree protocol (STP), though even with
optimizations, STP can take up to 50 seconds to converge (depending on the size of network and node of failure) may require 4 to 5
seconds to reconverge. FRRP can converge within 150ms to 1500ms when a link in the ring breaks (depending on network
configuration).
To operate a deterministic network, a network administrator must run a protocol that converges independently of the network size
or node of failure. FRRP is a proprietary protocol that provides this flexibility, while preventing Layer 2 loops. FRRP provides sub-
second ring-failure detection and convergence/re-convergence in a Layer 2 network while eliminating the need for running spanning-
tree protocol. With its two-way path to destination configuration, FRRP provides protection against any single link/switch failure and
thus provides for greater network uptime.

Protocol Overview

FRRP is built on a ring topology.
You can configure up to 255 rings on a system. FRRP uses one Master node and multiple Transit nodes in each ring. There is no limit
to the number of nodes on a ring. The Master node is responsible for the intelligence of the Ring and monitors the status of the
Ring. The Master node checks the status of the Ring by sending ring health frames (RHF) around the Ring from its Primary port and
returning on its Secondary port. If the Master node misses three consecutive RHFs, the Master node determines the ring to be in a
failed state. The Master then sends a Topology Change RHF to the Transit Nodes informing them that the ring has changed. This
causes the Transit Nodes to flush their forwarding tables, and re-converge to the new network structure.
One port of the Master node is designated the Primary port (P) to the ring; another port is designated as the Secondary port (S) to
the ring. In normal operation, the Master node blocks the Secondary port for all non-control traffic belonging to this FRRP group,
thereby avoiding a loop in the ring, like STP. Layer 2 switching and learning mechanisms operate per existing standards on this ring.
Each Transit node is also configured with a Primary port and a Secondary port on the ring, but the port distinction is ignored as long
as the node is configured as a Transit node. If the ring is complete, the Master node logically blocks all data traffic in the transmit and
receive directions on the Secondary port to prevent a loop. If the Master node detects a break in the ring, it unblocks its Secondary
port and allows data traffic to be transmitted and received through it. Refer to the following illustration for a simple example of this
FRRP topology. Note that ring direction is determined by the Master node's Primary and Secondary ports.
A virtual LAN (VLAN) is configured on all node ports in the ring. All ring ports must be members of the Member VLAN and the
Control VLAN.
The Member VLAN is the VLAN used to transmit data as described earlier.
The Control VLAN is used to perform the health checks on the ring. The Control VLAN can always pass through all ports in the ring,
including the secondary port of the Master node.

Ring Status

The ring failure notification and the ring status checks provide two ways to ensure the ring remains up and active in the event of a
switch or port failure.
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Force10 Resilient Ring Protocol (FRRP)