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allow for link aggregation from ports on different stacked switches either to other switches not in the stack (for example a core network) or to allow servers and other devices to have multiple connections to the stack for improved redundancy and throughput. Not all stackable switches support link
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Dedicated stacking bandwidth. Some switches come with built-in ports dedicated for stacking, which can preserve other ports for data network connections and can avoid the possible expense of an additional module to add stacking. Proprietary data handling or cables can be used to achieve higher
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There is not universal agreement as to the threshold for being a stackable versus being a standalone switch. Some companies call their switches stackable if they support a single IP address for multiple units even if they lack other features from this list. Some industry analysts have said a
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Layer 3 redundancy. Some stackable architectures allow for continued Layer 3 routing if there is a “down” switch in a stack. If routing is centralized in one unit in the stack, and that unit fails, then there must be a recovery mechanism to move routing to a backup unit in the
71:-mounted, managed switches of 1–2 rack unit (RU) in size, with a fixed set of data ports on the front. Some models have slots for optional slide-in modules to add ports or features to the base stackable unit. The most common configurations are 24-port and 48-port models.
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Mix and match of technology. Some stackable architectures allow for mixing switches of different technologies or from different product families, yet still achieve unified management. For example, some stacking allows for mixing of 10/100 and gigabit switches in a
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In some stack architectures, one unit is designated the main unit of the stack. All management is routed through that single master unit. Some call this the master or commander unit. Other units in the stack are referred to as slave or member
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Deployment flexibility: Stackable switches can operate together with other stackable switches or can operate independently. Units one day can be combined as a stack in a single site, and later can be run in different locations as independent
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that is fully functional operating standalone but which can also be set up to operate together with one or more other network switches, with this group of switches showing the characteristics of a single switch but having the
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Resilient connections: In some vendor architectures, active connections can be spread across multiple units so that should one unit in a stack be removed or fail, data will continue to flow through other units that remain
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Scalability: A small network can be formed around a single stackable unit, and then the network can grow with additional units over time if and when needed, with little added management complexity.
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The term sometimes used for a stacking approach that focuses on unified management with a single IP address for multiple stackable units. Units can be distributed and of multiple types.
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For locations needing numerous ports, a modular chassis may cost less. With stackable switching, each unit in a stack has its own enclosure and at minimum a single power supply. With
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Stacking resiliency. Multiple switches can have ways to bypass a “down” switch in a stack, thus allowing the remaining units to function as a stack even with a failed or removed unit.
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Additional overhead when sending stacking data between switches. Some stacking protocols add additional headers to frames, further increasing overhead.
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Used to describe the connections between stacked units, and the bandwidth of that connection. Most typically, switches that have primarily
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Single IP address for multiple units. Multiple switches can share one IP address for administrative purposes, thus conserving IP addresses.
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Simplified network administration: Whether a stackable switch operates alone or “stacked” with other units, there is always just a single
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A stackable switch is distinct from a standalone switch, which only operates as a single entity. A stackable switch is distinct from a
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High-end modular switches have high-resiliency / high-redundancy features not available in all stackable architectures.
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ports would have at minimum gigabit connections for its stacking backplane; likewise, switches that primarily have
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Single management view from multiple interfaces. Stack-level views and commands can be provided from a single
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121:: A series of switches, when stacked together, improves the backplane of the switches in stack also.
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of the stack as a whole, not an IP address for the administration of each unit in the stack.
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product is not a stackable if it lacks one of the above features (e.g., dedicated bandwidth).
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The common characteristic of a stack acting as a single switch is that there is a single
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Compared with a modular chassis switch, stackable switches have these drawbacks:
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to deal with. This simplifies the setup and operation of the network.
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refers to the group of switches that have been set up in this way.
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bandwidths than standard gigabit or 10-gigabit connections.
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Here are other terms associated with stackable switches:
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Features associated with stackable switches can include:
138:, there is one enclosure and one set of power supplies.
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ports would have at minimum 10-gigabit connections.
191:of ports on different units in the stack. Some
16:Network switch which can operate together others
46:capacity of the sum of the combined switches.
277:Cisco StackWise and StackWise Plus Technology
67:Stackable switches are customarily Ethernet,
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271:Small Business Stackable Switch White Paper
164:(CLI) and/or embedded Web interface. The
75:Comparison with other switch architectures
265:What is a “Stackable Management Switch”?
91:Stackable switches have these benefits:
7:
170:view into the stack can be unified.
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248:Comparison of stackable switches
253:Modular computer network switch
1:
196:aggregation across the stack.
267:, EUSSO Technologies, 2003.
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233:Stack master or commander
162:command line interface
81:switch modular chassis
30:
273:, NETGEAR Inc., 2001.
193:stacking technologies
101:network administrator
62:remote administration
29:of stackable switches
22:
97:management interface
298:Networking hardware
213:Stacking backplane
31:
136:modular switching
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279:, Cisco Systems.
222:Gigabit Ethernet
189:Link aggregation
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35:stackable switch
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259:Further reading
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39:network switch
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149:Functionality
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205:Terminology
114:functional.
27:5600 Family
287:Categories
227:Clustering
117:Improving
58:IP address
126:Drawbacks
119:backplane
110:switches.
49:The term
293:Ethernet
242:See also
99:for the
87:Benefits
237:units.
181:stack.
177:stack.
51:stack
37:is a
24:Avaya
167:SNMP
83:.
69:rack
60:for
44:port
289::
33:A
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