Specifications

Chapter 6. IBM Virtual Fabric 10Gb Switch Module implementation 245
3. Configure the same stacking VLAN for all switches in the stack.
4. Configure the stacking interlinks.
5. Configure an external IP interface on the Master (if external management is wanted).
6. Bind Member switches to the Master.
7. Assign a Backup switch.
These tasks are covered in detail in the following sections.
Preferred configuration practices
Here are guidelines for building an effective switch stack:
򐂰 Always connect the stack switches in a complete ring topology.
򐂰 Avoid disrupting the stack connections unnecessarily while the stack is in operation.
򐂰 For enhanced redundancy when creating port trunks, include ports from different stack
members in the trunks.
򐂰 Avoid altering the stack asnum and csnum definitions unnecessarily while the stack is
in operation.
򐂰 When in stacking mode, the highest QoS priority queue is reserved for internal stacking
requirements. Therefore, only seven priority queues are available for regular QoS use.
򐂰 Configure only as many QoS levels as necessary. This action allows for the best usage of
packet buffers.
Configuring each switch in a stack
To configure each switch for stacking, connect to the internal management IP interface for
each switch (assigned by the management system) and use the CLI to perform the
following steps.
1. Enable stacking.
On each switch, enable stacking by running boot stack enable (Example 6-1).
Example 6-1 Enable stacking
ACC-3#boot stack enable
Current status: disabled
New status: enabled
Next boot will have stacking enabled instead of disabled.
ACC-3#
ACC-4#boot stack enable
Current status: disabled
New status: enabled
Next boot will have stacking enabled instead of disabled.
ACC-4#
Important: Stacking configuration is stored as boot parameters. It is not part of the running
configuration. Restoring the switch to its default configuration file does not delete the
stacking parameters.