Article ID:425
Objective
Stacking is the method to combine switches to form single logical device for extended performance.By default the SFE2000P is in stacking mode.
This document helps to cascade multiple Cisco SFE2000P devices.
Applicable Device(s)
• SFE2000P
Cascading Multiple SFE2000P
You can build stacks by building a new stack from a group of switches, or adding new units to an existing stack. Stacks can be manually or automatically configured. . When the Ethernet switch is in stacking mode, ports 12 and 24 are reserved as stacking ports and cannot be used as network ports. Ports GBIC3 and GBIC4 can also be used as stacking ports.
Stacking Highlights
• In stacking mode, each Ethernet switch is given a unique ID, from 1 to 8.
• Stack ID's 1 and 2 are Master-Enabled units.
• All Ethernet switches in the stack must run the same version of software.
• The stack Master switch maintains the configuration.
• Stack cannot combine Linksys SFE2000 and SGE2000 family Ethernet switches.
• By default, Ethernet switches boot in stacking mode.
• Stack ID can be user assigned or automatically assigned
• Stacking ports are available to user in standalone mode as regular network ports.
• Settings are applied only to the master unit; certain changes take place only after reset.
A stack unit can operate in one of the following modes:
• Stand-alone
A switch operating in standalone mode runs as an independent, single unit. All ports of a standalone switch operate as normal Ethernet links. A standalone switch does not participate in a stack even physically connected to a stack.
• Stack
Indicates the device operates as a Stacked unit after the system is reset. A switch operating in stacking mode is not an independent unit, but a member of an organized group of switches known as a stack. A stack consists of one Stack Master control switch, one Master backup switch and up to six Stack member switch. In some cases, a unit that is not connected to any other units may operate as a stack-of-one.
Setting the Unit's Operational Mode
Use the GUI to set the unit's operational mode to standalone or stack. This configuration takes effect after the next reboot. To open the Stack Management page click on System > System Management > Stack Management.
To open Stack Management page using telnet, open the command prompt and then type telnet and the IP address of the switch (e.g. telnet 192.168.1.254). Login to the device using admin as username and leave the password blank. Go to the System Configuration tab and then Stack Configuration tab.
