Configure 5-Stage Clos Automation

The five-stage topology has three layers of devices: Leaf, Spine, and Super Spine. All links between Leaf and Spine must be connected. Spine nodes should not be interconnected. Similarly, all the links between the Spine and Super-spine must be connected. A border Leaf can be directly connected to a Super-spine, but there should not be any connection between a border Leaf and a Spine.

There are four steps to configuring a five-stage topology: create the fabric, register the devices, validate and add the devices, and provision the configuration on the devices.

The following image is an example of a five stage fabric. The following steps describe how to configure a five-stage fabric topology.

Five-Stage Clos Automation

Note

5-stage Clos can be built top to bottom or bottom to top. The following example builds from the top down.

1. Create the Fabric using the efa fabric create command.
2. Add a device or devices to the 5-stage Fabric using the efa fabric device add. The user must provide device credentials as part of this command if the devices are not already registered with the inventory.
   A device must be registered with Inventory Service before being added to a Fabric. Fabric Service supports IP numbered configuration. Each interface on a link between Leaf and Spine is assigned an IP address. eBGP peering uses these IP addresses.
   Multiple devices can be added to an existing fabric using the efa fabric device add-bulk command. If a username and password are provided, then the devices will be auto registered with the inventory service.
3. Use the efa fabric configure command to validate and configure the Fabric Topology.
   During the addition of a device to a Fabric and during Fabric configuration, Clos topology validations are performed. If the validation contains errors, the errors are reported to the user as a response to the fabric device add or fabric configure operations. Any Fabric topology errors can be exported to a CSV or DOT file.
   The following topology validations are performed:

   • Leaf nodes must connect to all the Spine nodes.
   • A Spine node must connect to all the Leaf nodes.
   • A Border Leaf node connects to all the Spine nodes.
   • A Spine node connects to all the Border Leaf nodes
   • No more than two Leaf nodes connect to each other.
   • No more than two Border Leaf nodes connect to each other.
   • Border Leaf node and Leaf node are not connected to each other.
   • Spine nodes are not connected to each other.
   • Super-spine nodes are not connected to each other.
   • If a Leaf node is marked as "multi-homed", then the node must have an MCT neighbor.
   • If a Leaf node is marked as "single-homed", then the node is not connected to other Leaf nodes.
   • If a Border Leaf node is marked as "multi-homed", then the node must have an MCT neighbor.
   • If a Border Leaf node is marked as "single-homed", then the node is not connected to other Border Leaf nodes.
   • Device role (such as Leaf, Border-leaf, Spine, and Super-spine) is validated for a given device platform type (for example, SLX 9840 cannot be added as a leaf).

Example

efa fabric create --name stage5

Example

efa fabric device add--name stage5 --username admin --password password --leaf 10.20.50.205,10.20.50.206,10.20.50.207 
--spine 10.20.50.203,10.20.50.204 --three-stage-pod podA --super-spine

Example

efa fabric device add-bulk --name stage5 --username admin --password password --leaf 10.20.50.205,10.20.50.206,10.20.50.207 
--spine 10.20.50.203,10.20.50.204 --three-stage-pod podA --super-spine 10.20.50.201,10.20.50.202 --five-stage-pod podC

Example

efa fabric configure --name stage5