Step 8: Connecting Multiple Switches Through The Stacking Ports At The Rear Panel - NETGEAR FSM726S Installation Manual

To learn more about the managed features on your switch, refer to the User Manual on the
Managed Switches CD-ROM.

Step 8: Connecting Multiple Switches Through the Stacking Ports At the Rear Panel

Your NETGEAR Model FSM726S or FSM750S Managed Stackable Switch provides two stacking
connectors. You can use these connectors to cascade up to 144 10/100 Mbps ports to create one large
virtual switch. You can see an example of a switching stack in the figure next page. When multiple switches
are stacked together, they behave as one single switch and you can manage them as such. This saves
considerable effort on the user's part when configuring them is required.
Observe the following guidelines when installing the switches in a stacked configuration.
Connecting Stacking Ports
When connecting two Managed Stackable Switches, one stacking cable connects the stacking port on one
switch to the stacking port on the other switch.
Connect Straight-in
To prevent bent pins, do not install the stack port cable connector at an angle. Use extra care to insert the
cable connector straight into the switch's stacking connector.
The following procedure describes how to stack three FSM726S Managed Stackable Switches This
procedure is the same if you are stacking FSM750S Managed Stackable Switches or a combination of the
two. Figure 3-5 shows these connections:
1.Connect either end of the supplied stacking cable to the Stack In connector on the first switch. Connect
the other end of the cable to the Stack Out connector on the second switch.
2.Connect either end of another stacking cable to the Stack In connector on the second switch. Connect
the other end of the cable to the Stack Out connector on the third switch. The third switch will be the
master switch.
Note: Stacked Switches can be assigned a single IP address using the switches' management software.
The stack can then be treated as a single manageable unit with one IP address. The switch with that IP
address is considered the master unit, while the other switches in the stack are called slave units.
Note: The switch that is acting as the master unit should have the Stack In port empty.
Adding or Removing Switches to the stack
For the master unit to properly manage the stack, we recommend the following steps when adding or
removing a switch from the stack
1. Power down all switches in the stack.
Note: Do not add or remove stacking cables while the switch is powered up.
2. Remove/Add the necessary switches
Note: the Stack In port on the master unit is always empty.
3. Power up the slave units in the stack.
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