Switch Stacking - D-Link DXS-3400 SERIES Hardware Installation Manual

DXS-3400 Series Lite Layer 3 Stackable 10GbE Managed Switch Hardware Installation Guide

Switch Stacking

The DXS-3400 series supports stacking up to 4 switches together while being managed through one console
connection on the master switch, or by an IP address through the MGMT port, or by multiple IP addresses through
any of the RJ45/SFP+ ports using Telnet, the Web UI, and SNMP. This cost-effective switch provides an affordable
solution for administrators to upgrade their networks using the combo RJ45/SFP+ ports to scale and stack the
Switches. This increases overall reliability, serviceability, and availability.

Duplex Chain – The Duplex Chain topology stacks switches together in a chain-link format. Using this
method, data transfer is only possible in one direction. If there is a break in the chain, then data transfer will
be affected.

Duplex Ring – The Duplex Ring stacks switches in a ring or circle format where data can be transferred in
two directions. This topology is very resilient due to the fact that, if there is a break in the ring, data can still be
transferred through the stacking cables between switches in the stack using the alternate path.
Switches in the series can be physically stacked using standard Category 6a cables with RJ45 connectors, optical
fiber cables connected to SFP+ transceivers, or Direct Attached Cables (DAC) with SFP+ connectors. Only the last 4
ports on the Switch can be used for physical stacking.
Physical stacking needs to be enabled and can be configured to support either a 2-port or a 4-port stacking
configuration. When the 2-port stacking configuration is used, a full-duplex speed of up to 40 Gbps will be used
between two switches. When the 4-port stacking configuration is used, a full-duplex speed of up to 80 Gbps will be
used between two switches.
The figure below illustrates how switches can be stacked in a Duplex Chain formation using Category 6a cables with
RJ45 connectors where the 2-port stacking configuration is used.
The figure below illustrates how switches can be stacked in a Duplex Chain formation using optical fiber cables
connected to SFP+ transceivers or DAC with SFP+ connectors where the 2-port stacking configuration is used.
Figure 3-3 Duplex Chain stacking topology (RJ45)
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