Power off/on Stack Switches

[PolarPanda]

Hi Cisco Gurus,

            I need to move our current 3850 stack switches (4 total) from one location to another. What's the correct order to power off/on with unplug/plug cables? I know I need to start to power off by priority from low to master, then power on from master to lowest one. How about power cables, stack power cables and stack cables? which cable i should unplug first? if i know the order of unplugging, then i'd assumed i need to do reverse order when plug back in. Thank ya'll!

[Reza Sharifi]

Hi,

3850s do not have any on/off switch. So, you would have to unplug the power cord. The order of disconnect does not matter, but when you connect start with master and the rest based on priority you have configured. Also, make sure you are making a good backup of the config and save all config before disconnecting. 

HTH

[PolarPanda]

Thanks for the info Reza. I'm moving from one physical location to another one, so i need to bring all the cables with me. If I understand correctly, when i power off (unplug power cables), i can unplug power cables all together. Or i can start with switch 4, i can unplug stack cables, stack power cables, and power cables in any order. Then wait until it fully powered off, move to switch 3. Follow the same step until switch 1 (master). When I plug back in and power on the stack in the new location, I can do any order to power on master first. Then when i connect master to switch 2, no restrict order which cable connect first, but i have to make sure switch power on one by one.

[Martin L · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can power down from last switch (bottom one) towards top one (master on the top of stack). So, power off sw 4, 3,2,1.  Disconnect stack-wise cables and move to new location, reconnect stack-wise cables.  Then, power on from master to lowest one. If they have power-stack cables (backup power from switch to switch) disconnect those first (from last one to first one). Note: my technician often power off and power on switches at the same time. Nothing bad happened as long as they are properly configured and stack-wise cables are properly plugged in. 

Note: Always Make sure switch is power off before removing stack-wise cables. Take picture of back of switch stack for reference. 

Regards, ML
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[PolarPanda]

Hi Martin,

              Thanks for the info. so when unplug cables to power off switches, i will need to unplug power-stack cables first, then power cables and finally stack-wise cables from the lowest priority to the highest/master. When plug back in, I will do the reverse order. Is that correct?

[Reza Sharifi · Accepted solution]

That is correct. if you are using power-stack cables, unplug those first and than unplug the cord from the back of the switch. Once you unplug the cord, you can now undo the stacking cable.

HTH