Intelligent Resilient Framework (IRF) is a

proprietary software Proprietary software is computer software, software that grants its creator, publisher, or other rightsholder or rightsholder partner a legal monopoly by modern copyright and intellectual property law to exclude the recipient from freely sharing t ...

virtualization In computing, virtualization (abbreviated v12n) is a series of technologies that allows dividing of physical computing resources into a series of virtual machines, operating systems, processes or containers. Virtualization began in the 1960s wit ...

technology originally developed by Huawei 3Com. It can connect and configure multiple network devices through physical

ports Ports collections (or ports trees, or just ports) are the sets of makefiles and Patch (Unix), patches provided by the BSD-based operating systems, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD, as a simple method of installing software or creating binary packages. T ...

and then virtualize the devices. This enables the unified management and maintenance of multiple devices. This technology is similar to the

Cisco Cisco Systems, Inc. (using the trademark Cisco) is an American multinational digital communications technology conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develops, manufactures, and sells networking hardware, s ...

Virtual PortChannel (vpC).

History

This technology was originally developed by 3Com and released in 2003 as XRN (eXpandable Resilient Networking). When

HP Inc. HP Inc. is an American multinational information technology company with its headquarters in Palo Alto, California, that develops personal computers (PCs), printers and related supplies, as well as 3D printing services. It is the world's s ...

purchased 3Com in April 2010, the technology was renamed to IRF.

Overview

An IRF

virtual device A virtual device in Unix is a file such as :/dev/null or :/dev/urandom, that is treated as a device, as far as user level software is concerned, but is generated by the kernel (operating system), kernel without reference to hardware. For instance ...

appears as a

node In general, a node is a localized swelling (a "knot") or a point of intersection (a vertex). Node may refer to: In mathematics * Vertex (graph theory), a vertex in a mathematical graph *Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, lines ...

on the

network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...

, which can be connected to in order to manage all members of the virtual device. The IRF is designed to combine the cost-effective benefits of box-type devices with the reliability of chassis-based devices. IRF proponents claim that an IRF-based network increases network resilience, performance, and availability, while also reducing the operating complexity. In simulated tests, IRF was found to be resilient to severe induced failures.

Devices which support IRF

Currently, this technology is specific to

products and solutions. * HPE FlexNetwork HSR6800 Router Series * HPE FlexFabric 5700 Switch Series * HPE 5900 Switch Series * HPE 5920 Switch Series * HPE 5940 Switch Series * HPE 6125XLG Ethernet Blade Switch * HPE FlexFabric 12900E Switch SeriesHPE FlexFabric 12900E Switch Series
HPE

References

{{Reflist Ethernet Link protocols

History

Overview

Devices which support IRF

See also

References