Dell PowerEdge FX2/FX2s - Manual (Page 190)

Cabling the Switch Stack
Dell PowerEdge FN I/O Aggregators are connected to operate as a single stack in a ring topology using
the SFP+ or Base-T ports on the front end ports 9 and 10. To create a stack in either a ring or daisy-chain
topology, you can use two units on the same chassis or up to six units across multiple chassis.
Prerequisite: Before you attach the stacking cables, all Aggregators in the stack must be powered up with
the default or reconfigured settings.
To connect stacking ports, use only SFP+ transceivers, SFP+ cables and BaseT and its supported cables
(separately purchased). For example:
1. Insert a cable in port 9 on the first aggregator.
2. Connect the cable to port 10 on the next aggregator.
3. Continue this pattern on up to 6 aggregators.
4. Connect a cable from port 9 on the last aggregator to port 10 on the first aggregator. This creates a
ring topology.
NOTE: The resulting topology allows the stack to function as a single switch with resilient failover
capabilities.
Accessing the CLI
To configure a stack, you must access the stack master in one of the following ways.
• For remote out-of-band management (OOB), enter the OOB management interface IP address into a
Telnet or secure shell (SSH) client and log in to the switch using the user ID and password to access
the CLI.
• For local management, use the attached console connection to the master switch to log in to the CLI.
Console access to the stack CLI is available on the master only.
• For remote in-band management from a network management station, enter the virtual local area
network (VLAN) IP address of the management port and log in to the switch to access the CLI.
Configuring and Bringing Up a Stack
After you attach the cables in a stack of Aggregators, perform the following steps to configure and bring
up the stack:
1. Set up a connection to the CLI on an Aggregator as described in Accessing the CLI .
2. Connect the terminal to the console port on an Aggregator. Enter the following commands to
access the CLI and configure the base module ports for stacking mode:
Login: username
Password: *****
Dell> enable
Dell# configure
Dell(conf)# stack-unit 0 iom-mode stack
Where stack-unit 0 defines the default stack-unit number in the initial configuration of a switch.
3. Save the stacking configuration on the SFP+ or 10G Base-T ports:
Dell# write memory
4. Reboot the Aggregator by entering the reload command in EXEC Privilege mode:
Dell# reload
190 Stacking