Network Management And Stack Configuration; Switching And Routing Advantages; Campus Fabric - Arris Ruckus ICX 7850 Series Configuration Manual

Stacking Overview

Campus Fabric

Network management and stack configuration

Even when all the switches within a stack are physically distributed, you can manage them as a single entity, enabling one-touch
configuration changes via a single IP address.
The active controller manages the other stack units. It maintains the information database for all stack members and downloads
software images as needed to all stack units. Each stack also has a standby controller for stack redundancy, and the stack can fail
over seamlessly to the standby.
Configuring the stack through the stack interactive-setup utility is straightforward. Stack zero-touch provisioning can be enabled
to automate stack interactive-setup so that no user intervention is required. Custom configuration can be combined with
automated setup if, for example, you want to add units, move stacking ports, create trunks, or transform a default stacking port
into a data uplink port.

Switching and routing advantages

Packet switching between ports on stack units is handled by the hardware. All protocols operate with stacking in the same way as
on a chassis system.
You can use stack connections to link distributed switches instead of standard inter-switch links with Layer 2 Spanning Tree
Protocol (STP) or Layer 3 routing. Using stack connections has significant advantages:
• Layer 2 simplicity. Stack links do not need to be considered as part of the overall network topology, which means that
they can be used to provide resiliency, and Layer 3 routing is not needed to manage traffic flows.
• No closed links. Because the stack links are internal to the switches, they are not seen as part of a Layer 2 network. This
means that all links can remain open and can be used to carry traffic simultaneously, maximizing throughput.
• Fast failover. The rapid detection and recovery techniques used on stack links mean that the failure of a link or a switch
results in hitless failover, with no impact on user services.
The next section describes Switch Port Extender technology, which is based on an ICX 7650 or ICX 7750 core stack. Refer to the
Ruckus FastIron Campus Fabric Configuration Guide for more information.
Campus Fabric
Campus Fabric is sometimes referred to as Switch Port Extender (SPX).
Campus Fabric creates a more scalable architecture based on IEEE 802.1BR standards. Ruckus Campus Fabric architecture adds
ICX 7450, ICX 7250, or ICX 7150 devices configured as port extenders (PEs), or PE units, to a set of ICX 7750 or ICX 7650 stack units
configured as the control bridge. The ICX 7750 or ICX 7650 control bridge (CB) provides a single point of management for the
extended network. Active and standby controller functions are retained and continue to provide hitless recovery as well as
extended administrative functions. Campus Fabric greatly increases the number of access devices that the network can support.
The distributed CB at the center of Campus Fabric architecture manages PE units and hundreds to thousands of ports at the
network edge.
PE units are standards-based devices. Typically lower in cost, PE units rely on the CB for most network functions. As the network
expands, new PE units can be detected and added to the network automatically using defined Campus Fabric communication
protocols. PE units also inherit Premium-license features from the CB, which further reduces cost.
Campus Fabric architecture simplifies network management by unifying core, aggregation, and access functions. As illustrated in
the following figure, a core stack (distributed chassis) serving as the CB connects to downstream Campus Fabric (PE) units that
aggregate large numbers of access devices.
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Ruckus FastIron Stacking Configuration Guide, 08.0.90
Part Number: 53-1005572-01