Avaya Virtual Services Platform 7000 Series Installation Manual page 40

Fabric Interconnect
FI up configuration
In a FI up configuration, the base unit is physically located at the top of the stack. The software
automatically numbers the physical units based on the designated base unit (unit 1). The FI
cables connected to the FI-down ports of the base unit terminates in the FI-up ports on the
bottom unit in the FI stack. This bottom unit is designated unit 2. The FI stack is wired upwards
though the units and the software continues to number up though the FI stack. In this
configuration, the base unit discovers the virtual fabric in a FI up direction. The following
illustration shows a typical FI up configuration.
Figure 20: FI up cable configuration
Note:
Avaya recommends you to use the FI down configuration. Many network management
software packages assume a stack down configuration.
Redundant FI configuration
The VSP 7000 Series switches support redundant FI stacking. You can create a redundant FI
cable loop by connecting the base unit to the unit physically at the bottom of the stack. In a
redundant FI configuration, if a single unit fails, or if a FI cable is disconnected or damaged,
other units in the stack can remain operational without interruption.
In a redundant configuration, the software uses the FI cables to provide two paths between
units. If one path fails, the data can travel over the remaining path with half of the normal FI
bandwidth. The following is an example of how a redundant FI configuration reacts to a failed
connection.
40 VSP 7000 installation
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April 2012