Using The Summitstack-V Feature - Extreme Networks Summit X150 Series Hardware Installation Manual

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Use the shortest possible stacking cables to connect the switches in the stack; this reduces the
likelihood that the stacking cables might be accidentally damaged or disconnected. Stacking cables
are available in lengths from 0.3 meters to 100 meters (see
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When possible, place all switches for the stack in the same rack or in adjacent racks; this facilitates
using shorter stacking cables.
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The stack master is the switch through which you will perform the initial stack configuration, using
the console port. For simplicity and ease of connecting the stacking cables, plan to designate the
top switch in a vertical physical stack as the stack master. If switches are installed in several
adjacent racks, place the stack master at one end of the row.
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Physically locate the intended master and backup nodes adjacent to each other, and connect these
switches directly to each other.
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For easier software configuration of the stack, connect the stacking cables in the order and
arrangement shown in the tables that accompany the examples starting
Configurations.
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On the stack master switch, connect the Ethernet management port to your management network.
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To provide management access to the stack in case of a failure in the master switch, connect all
switches that will participate in redundancy to your management network using the Ethernet
management port on each switch.
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Because of the weight of the cable, Extreme Networks strongly recommends the use of cable
management hardware to support the cables and provide strain relief at the connectors when you
use the SummitStack 128G cable, SummitStack 64G cable, or SummitStack 128G/64G cable. (See
Connecting Stacking

Using the SummitStack-V Feature

The dedicated stacking ports (either fixed or on installed VIMs or stacking modules) are called native
stacking ports.
The SummitStack-V feature allows you to reconfigure one or two 10-Gbps Ethernet data ports to
operate as stacking ports. When these ports are enabled to support stacking, they are called alternate
stacking ports. This feature allows you to use less expensive cables to connect the switches in a stack.
Because copper and fiber Ethernet ports support longer cable distances, this feature also allows you to
extend the physical distance between stack nodes. The SummitStack-V feature supports stack nodes
on different floors in a building or in different buildings on a campus.
A stack can use both native and alternate stacking ports. For example, on one switch you can use a
native stacking port to connect to another switch in the same rack, and you can use an alternate
stacking port to connect to another switch on a different floor.
On each switch model, only specific data ports can be used as alternate stacking ports. The alternate
stacking ports must be 10-Gbps Ethernet ports, either on the front panel of the switch or on installed
port option cards or versatile interface modules at the back of the switch. Switch models that do not
have native stacking ports can still use the SummitStack-V feature if they have 10-Gbps Ethernet ports.
If you configure an alternate stacking port on a switch that has native stacking ports, the native
stacking port becomes inactive and cannot be used. When a data port becomes an alternate stacking
port, it can no longer operate as a data port.
Summit Family Hardware Installation Guide
Cables.)
Building Stacks
Available Stacking Cables).
Single-Rack Stacking
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