Question about Stacking

[network_a]

Hi Experts,

I want to gather as much information as possible about Stacking Cisco switches, be it GigaStack or Stackwise(Hope I've used the right terms, I am a novice when it comes to stacking).

Could someone please advise.

Many Thanks.

[mohammedmahmoud]

Hi,

Cisco Catalyst switches can be stacked with two different features.

1. Cisco StackWise Feature

2. Cisco GigaStack Feature

http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/hw/switches/ps5023/products_configuration_example09186a00807811ad.shtml#stack_tech

HTH,

Mohammed Mahmoud.

[network_a]

Hi,

Thanks for the valuable information. I'll go through the link and try to grasp as much as possible.

Practically speaking, how many switches do you think can be max in a stack.

Best Regards.

[mohammedmahmoud]

Hi,

A Cisco StackWise stack can have upto 9 stack members, practically i've never seen this number, but i guess that it is doable.

HTH,

Mohammed Mahmoud.

[ross.bagurdes]

We use the stackwise with the 3750's throughout our network. For the most part, they are an excellent way to manage a group of switches. We have staked up to 8 of them together, with 9 being the max. The benefit is that if the primary switch in the stack fails, the other switches in the stack do not go down.

Additionally, it makes managing vlans and trunks much easier, as you only have to deal with 1 switch config for the entire stack.

The downside is that building the stacks and upgrading the code is quite a challenge, and requires a fair amount of frustration and experience to know how to 'massage' them into a solid config with the right code.

all in all, i'm quite fond of the technology.

-Ross