Chapter 18. managing stacking, Stacking overview, Stacking ring topology – Allied Telesis AT-S95 WEB User Manual
Page 233: Chapter 18.managing stacking, Section title“managing stacking
Managing Stacking
Stacking Overview
Page 233
Chapter 18.Managing Stacking
This section describes the stacking control management and includes the following topics:
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Configuring Stacking Management
Stacking Overview
Stacking provides multiple switch management through a single point as if all stack members are a single unit. All
stack members are accessed through a single IP address through which the stack is managed. The stack can be
managed using the following interfaces:
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Web-based Interface
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SNMP Management Station
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Command Line Interface (CLI)
Devices support stacking up to six units per stack, or can operate as stand-alone units. During the Stacking setup,
one switch is selected as the Stacking Master and another stacking member can be selected as the Secondary
Master. All other devices are selected as stack members, and assigned a unique Unit ID.
Switch software is downloaded for each stack member. During a software download, the software version is
downloaded to the master unit and can then be copied to all units at once. All units in the stack must be running
the same software version.
Switch stacking and configuration is maintained by the Stacking Master. The Stacking Master detects and
reconfigures the ports with minimal operational impact in the event of:
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Unit Failure
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Inter-unit Stacking Link Failure
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Unit Insertion
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Removing a Stacking Unit
This section includes the following topics:
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Removing and Replacing Stacking Members
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Stacking Ring Topology
Stacked devices operate in a Ring topology. A Ring topology is where all devices in the stack are connected to
each other forming a circle. Each stacked device accepts data and sends it to the device to which it is physically
connected. The packet continues through the stack until it reaches the destination port. The system automatically
discovers the optimal path on which to send traffic.
Most difficulties in Ring topologies occur when a device in the ring becomes non-functional, or a link is severed. In
a stack, the system automatically switches to a Stacking Failover topology without any system downtime. An
SNMP message is automatically generated, but no stack management action is required. However, the stacking
link or stacking member must be repaired to ensure the stacking integrity.