General Stack Configuration Guidelines
Before deploying a new stack, consider the following guidelines:
- Plan to use the stack as if it were a single multi-slot switch. You
need to decide the number and type of stackable switches in the stack and how the stack
ports will be connected to the network.
- Physically locate the intended master and backup nodes adjacent to
each other, and plan to directly connect these nodes to each other so that ExtremeXOS
application synchronization traffic is localized to a single stack link.
- Use stacking cables to interconnect the stack nodes into a ring
topology (see SummitStack Topologies). Only
include the nodes that are intended to be active in the stack. To see the recommended
procedures for installing and interconnecting a stack, refer to the Summit Family Switches Hardware Installation Guide.
- You can physically connect the stack to your networks before the nodes
are configured. However, the default configuration on a non-stacking mode switch assumes a
default untagged VLAN that contains all switch ports. When first powered on, the switch
acts as a Layer 2 switch, possibly resulting in network loops.
- Make sure all nodes support the SummitStack feature and are running
the same ExtremeXOS software version (see the Feature License Requirements document.) To view the ExtremeXOS software version on a node, restart the node and run the
command:
show version {detail | process
name | images {partition
partition} {slot
slotid} } .
If any of the nodes do not have the right version, install the correct version on that
switch. We recommend that you use the same image partition on all nodes. Once stacking
is enabled, image upgrade from the stack is possible only if the same image is selected
on all nodes.
- If you intend to deploy new units that might be part of a stack in the
future, you might want to turn on stacking mode during initial deployment to avoid a
future restart. The only disadvantages of stacking mode are the loss of QoS profile QP7
and the reservation of some of the packet buffer space for stacking control traffic.
- You can configure the stack by logging into the master or any of the
other nodes. For more information, see Logging into a Stack.
- If the master-capable stackable switches have different purchased
license levels, you might need to configure license level restrictions on some nodes
before those nodes can join the stack (see Managing Licenses on a Stack).
- If the stack supports any feature pack license (such as MPLS or Direct
Attach), that feature pack license must be installed on all master capable nodes to
support that feature and prevent traffic interruption if a failover event occurs.
- Most stacking specific configurations are effective only after a
restart (see the following table). However, most non-stacking configuration commands take
effect immediately and require no restart.
- A basic stack configuration can be achieved by using the procedure
described in About Easy Setup.
Note
If EAPS, Spanning Tree, or any Layer 2 redundancy
protocol is not running on the network, make sure that your network connections do not form a
network loop.
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