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The same behavior is seen for management traffic. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), HTTP, Telnet,
and Secure Shell (SSH) Protocol type of management traffic is all forwarded to the master regardless of the
ingress interface. The response from the master is sent through the stack to the destination interface.
On configuration changes, the stack master pushes a copy of the configuration to every member. This way all
members have a copy of the saved configuration.
Stack upgrades occur on the master. The master pushes new Cisco IOS Software images to all members. Each
member stores a copy of the Cisco IOS Software image on its local Flash.
FlexStack LED Operation
The LEDs on the front of the Cisco Catalyst 2960-S, 2960-X, and 2960-XR can be used to view stack operation.
When multiple Cisco Catalyst 2960 switches are stacked together, only the stack master will have the “MSTR” LED
solid green. Other members of the same stack will have this LED dark.
To find the switch member number, press the mode button until the stack LED goes green. At this point the LEDs
over the Ethernet ports are used. The port number matching the member will start to blink. For member 2, the LED
for port 2 will blink. For member 3, port 3 will blink. Depending upon the number of members in the stack (up to four
for 2960-S and up to 8 for 2960-X), the other ports will go solid green. This allows the network administrator to see
the number of stack members just from the LEDs over the ports.
When a switch is operating standalone, the MSTR LED will be solid green.
FlexStack Details
Inserting the FlexStack Module
The FlexStack module will insert easily into the slot. Just before it is fully inserted, there will be “minor” resistance.
This is normal. Push the module completely into the switch chassis. Tighten the screws no more than “finger” tight.
The screws are meant to keep the module from slipping out, not to maintain stack link connectivity. Finger tight is
sufficient to maintain a fully operational stack connection.
FlexStack Redundant Power
Redundant power for each Cisco Catalyst 2960-S and 2960-X is provided by the Cisco Redundant Power System
2300 (Cisco RPS 2300). The 2960-XR has its own dual redundant power supplies and does not support the
RPS2300. If the RPS2300 is being used to provide redundant power, then each stack member must have its own
connection to the Cisco RPS 2300.
FlexStack Operational Management
Managing FlexStack switches involves adding members to and removing members from an existing stack. This
section will cover techniques for safely and efficiently adding members to and removing members from a stack of
Cisco Catalyst 2960-S or 2960-X switches.