Stacking - D-Link xStack DES-3528 series User Manual

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xStack DES-3528/DES-3552 Series Layer 2 Stackable Fast Ethernet Managed Switch User Manual

Stacking

From firmware release v2.00 of this Switch, the DES-3528/DES-3552 Series now supports switch stacking, where a
set of eight switches can be combined to be managed by one IP address through Telnet, the GUI interface (web), the
console port or through SNMP. Each switch of this series has two stacking ports located at the rear of the device,
which can be used to connect stacking enabled devices and make them stack together. After adding these stacking
ports, the user may connect these ports together using copper ables (also sold separately) in one of two possible
topologies.
Duplex C hain – As shown in Figure 2 - 49, The Duplex Chain topology stacks switches together in a chain-link
format. Using this method, data transfer is only possible in one direction and if there is a break in the chain, then data
transfer will obviously be affected.
Duplex Ring – As shown in Figure 2 - 50, 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.
Figure 2 - 49 Switches stacked in a Duplex Chain
Within each of these topologies, each switch plays a role in the Switch stack. These roles can be set by the user per
individual Switch, or if desired, can be automatically determined by the Switch stack. Three possible roles exist when
stacking with the DES-3528/DES-3552 Series.
NOTE: Only ports 27 and 28 of the DES-3528 Series, or ports 51 and ports 52 of DES-
3552 support stacking. The other ports cannot be used for stacking. For a stacking
disabled device, ports 27 and 28 of the DES-3528 Series, or ports 51 and ports 52 of
DES-3552 can be used as normal GE ports.
Primary Master – The Primary Master is the leader of the stack. It will maintain normal operations, monitor operations
and the running topology of the Stack. This switch will also assign Stack Unit IDs, synchronize configurations and
transmit commands to remaining switches in the switch stack. The Primary Master can be manually set by assigning
this Switch the highest priority (a lower number denotes a higher priority) before physically assembling the stack, or it
can be determined automatically by the stack through an election process which determines the lowest MAC address
and then will assign that switch as the Primary Master, if all priorities are the same. The Primary master are physically
displayed by the seven segment LED to the far right on the front panel of the switch where this LED will flash between
its given Box ID and 'H'.
Backup M aster – The Backup Master is the backup to the Primary Master, and will take over the functions of the
Primary Master if the Primary Master fails or is removed from the Stack. It also monitors the status of neighboring
switches in the stack, will perform commands assigned to it by the Primary Master and will monitor the running status
of the Primary Master. The Backup Master can be set by the user by assigning this Switch the second highest priority
before physically assembling the stack, or it can be determined automatically by the stack through an election process
Figure 2 - 50 Switches stacked in a Duplex Ring
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