After the SmartFabric is created, you may see the following error: Warning: Unable to validate the fabric because the design link ICL-1_REVERSE not connected as per design and Unable to validate the fabric because the design link ICL-1_FORWARD not connected as per design.
There are two common reasons why you may receive this error:
- QSFP28 cables are being used between MX9116n switches instead of QSFP28-DD cables.
- The VLTi cables are not connected to the correct physical ports.
An example is shown below. To see the warning message, go to the OME-M UI and click Devices > Fabric. Choose View Details next to Warning. You can view the details of the warning message choosing the SmartFabric that was created, and clicking Topology. The warnings are displayed in Validation Errors section.
This occurs because the VLTi connections between two MX9116n FSEs are using QSFP28 cables instead of QSFP28-DD cables. Make sure QSFP28-DD cables are connected between port group 11 and 12 (ports 1/1/37 through 1/1/40) on both FSEs for VLTi connections.