Deployment Scenarios - Cabletron Systems SmartStack STS16-20R Installation And User Manual

Deployment Scenarios

SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R includes a built-in stacker link. To create a
stack of SmartStack STS16-20x switches you can use any switch in this series as
an interface point for the stack. To do this, you use either a SmartStack STS-8SU
Stacker Unit or a SmartStack STS-5SU Stacker Unit. Using the stacker link and an
appropriate stacker unit it is possible to build a large switch stack combining
several ports on one switch with ports on one or more other several SmartStack
STS16-20x switches. You can use the expansion module slots of the SmartStack
STS16-20RM/STS16-20FRM to get ATM, High-Speed Token-Ring as well as Fast
Ethernet Translational Switching connectivity for the whole stack including the
SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R.
You can use all the ports in the stack as one switched ring (a single CRF), or should
your network design call for it, allocate ports on to different rings. The SmartStack
STS16-20D/STS16-20R provides all the flexibility of the SmartStack STS16-
20RM/STS16-20FRM with respect to defining switched rings (CRFs) and bridges
(BRFs).
Figure 15 shows a scenario using a stacker links and a switch stacker unit.
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Several ports on SmartStack STS16-20RM are combined with ports on the
SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R to create a switched ring.
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Ports on SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R are intended for users who need
the dedicated bandwidth and for file servers while SmartStack STS16-20RM/
STS16-20FRM supports shared media Token Rings in a transition period and
extends the backbone Token Ring using fiber.
An alternative way of migrating shared rings to switched rings is to use existing
cables as connections between SmartStack STS16-20RM and SmartStack STS16-
20D/STS16-20R. In this way, the distance limitations of the stack solution are
bypassed and the ring is geographically extended to cover more than one wiring
closet. A network port (ports 1 to 20 on SmartStack STS16-20R and ports 17 to 20
on SmartStack STS16-20D) can be used to connect two switches from the
SmartStack STS16-20RM family together using existing cables. In order to
increase the resilience of the network you can connect the SmartStack STS16-20D/
STS16-20R to two different switches from the SmartStack STS16-20x family that
use multiple network ports.
Preparing for Installation SmartStack STS16-20D/STS16-20R Token Ring Switches Installation and User Guide
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