Allied Telesis AT-S63 - Manual (Page 81)

AT-S63 Management Software Features Guide
Section I: Basic Operations 81
Common VLAN
A master switch searches for the other switches in an enhanced stack by
sending out a broadcast packet out a local subnet. (The designation of this
subnet is explained in “Master Switch and the Local Interface,” next.)
Since a broadcast packet cannot cross a router or a VLAN boundary, you
must connect the switches of an enhanced stack with a common VLAN.
The VLAN acts as the transfer path for the broadcast packets from the
master switch to the slave switches and also serves as the path for other
management packets.
Here are several things to keep in mind as you plan the common VLAN of
your enhanced stack:
ˆ Any valid VLAN name and VLAN identifier (VID) can be used for the
common VLAN, but it should be the same on all the switches in the
stack.
ˆ A slave switch of an enhanced stack can be indirectly connected to the
master switch through other switches, provided there is an
uninterrupted path of the common VLAN from the slave switch to the
master switch.
ˆ The Default_VLAN can be used as the common VLAN.
ˆ The common VLAN does not have to be dedicated solely to the
enhanced stacking feature.
For background information on port-based and tagged virtual LANs, refer
to “Overview” on page 271.