First time configuring a 3750X stack - config help please?

[Andro Berkovic]

Good morning,

I'm about to try my hand at configuring a 3750X stack for the first time - I have plenty of experience with 3650s and 29xx configurations, but I've never dealt with stacks before. Hopefully, someone will have a minute to answer a few rookie questions for me:

If I understand it correctly, 3705X switches are configured the same way as the 3560s or 2900s, except for the StackWise config (as outlined in http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps5023/products_configuration_example09186a00807811ad.shtml ) and PowerStack config? I'd still assign each switch its own IP, configure ports on each switch separately etc? What about the VTP domain & VTP server/client config? Anything else I'm missing or should watch out for?

Thanks for the advice in advance!

Andro

[Reza Sharifi · Accepted solution]

Hi,

If you are planning on stacking them, then you only need one management IP address for the entire stack.

So let say you have 5 switches in the stack, you assign only one IP.

Once stacked, you only configure the master and the master will sync the config to all members.

HTH 

[edondurguti · Accepted solution]

Hi,

Let's say you want to stack 3 x 24 ports switches - basically you are creating one 72 ports swtich, you assign a managment ip address on vlan interface and you login to that managment ip.

Note: the way you can tell what port is on what switch is by port number:

sw1 would be: Fa1/0/1 [port 1 switch 1]

sw2 would be: Fa2/0/1 [port 2 switch 2]

etc.

VTP acts as if it was one swtich [your connecting the switches with stackwise cables]

.

Here is the output of show swtich:

ck-016-sw1#show switch

Switch/Stack Mac Address : 0012.00fb.bc80

                                           H/W   Current

Switch#  Role   Mac Address     Priority Version  State

----------------------------------------------------------

*1       Master 0012.00fb.bc80     15     0       Ready              

2       Member 0012.00fb.b900     13     0       Ready              

3       Member 001c.575f.5d00     11     0       Ready     

==============

you set the master the higher priority

(config)#switch 1 priority 15

[Andro Berkovic]

Ahhh, so config is more like a Catalyst 4500 stack, then, rather than a bunch of standalone 3560s... thank you gentlemen, most helpful!

Andro

[Reza Sharifi]

Ahhh, so config is more like a Catalyst 4500 stack, then, rather than a bunch of standalone 3560s... thank you gentlemen, most helpful!

That is correct.  Just make sure you load the same IOS version and same license level in all of them.

I would also assign priority to the switches.  So, if you have a stack of 5 switches and switch 1 is the master and the other 4 are just members, assign priority 15 (highest) to the master (switch 1). For switch 2, assign 12 switch 3 10 and so on...

So, this way, if switch 1 fails, you know the next priority is switch 2 which is 12 and so on...

HTH

[Jan Rolny · Accepted solution]

Hi Andro,

stacked switches are presented like one logical switch.

So for example if you have four switches in stack only one will be master and other members. All configuration things are made from master(active) switch.

You will see different port numbering.

Switch one will have port numbers 1/0/1, 1/0/2 etc...

Switch two willl have port numbers 2/0/1, 2/0/2 etc

Switch three will have port numbers 3/0/1, 2/0/2 etc....

If you configure VTP domain so it will be configure for all switches in stack(logical switch)

Same for hostname.

If you configure VLAN interface so again it will be for whole switch. You can configure separate IP for each switch by configuring 100 Base-T FastEthernet0 interface.

If master fails next switch in stack will become master and this switch will have VLAN IP.

Please rate if you consider this post helpful.

Best regards,

Jan