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Configuration considerations

Before you can configure a static RP, you must enable the following:

1. PIM-SM
2. Static RP

After meeting these prerequisites, keep in mind the following configuration considerations:

• A static RP-enabled switch cannot be configured as a BSR or as a C-RP.
• All dynamically learned BSR information is lost. However, if you disable static RP, the switch loses the static RP information and regains the BSR functionality.
• Static RPs do not age, that is they cannot time out.
• Switches do not advertise static RPs so, if a new PIM neighbor joins the network, it will not know about the static RP unless it is configured with that static RP.
• Configure all the switches in the network (including switches from other vendors) to map to the same RP.
• In a PIM domain with both static and dynamic RP switches, the static RP switches cannot have one of their (local) interfaces configured as RP.
• To avoid a single point of failure, you can configure redundant static RPs for the same group prefix. If there is a mix of Nortel and other vendor's switches across the network, you have to ensure that all switches/routers use the same active RP because other vendors may be using different algorithms to elect the active RP. 8000 Series switches use the hash function defined in the PIM-SM standard to elect the active RP; other vendors may use the lowest IP address to break the tie.
• Static RP configured on the switch is assumed to be alive as long as the switch has a unicast route to the static RP's network. If the switch loses this route, the static RP is invalidated and the hash algorithm is invoked to remap all affected groups. If the switch regains this route, the static RP is validated and the hash algorithm is invoked to remap the affected groups.

• Enabling static RP
• Configuring static RP