Quick Reference Guide

Stacking S-Series Switches | 83
5
Stacking S-Series Switches
This chapter contains the following sections:
• S-Series Stackability Features
• Important Points to Remember
• Stacking Commands Overview on page 85
• Management Unit Selection Algorithm on page 85
• Unit Number Assignment on page 86
• Stack Management and Functionality on page 86
• Adding a Switch to a Stack on page 89
• Removing a Switch from a Stack on page 90
• Setting Management Unit Preferences on page 91
• Upgrading Software in a Stack on page 94
• Using show Commands for Stacking Information on page 98
S-Series Stackability Features
• Stacking cable length availability:
— Short stacking cable (60 cm)
— Long stacking cable (4 meters)
• Management unit (stack manager switch) selection algorithm
• Stacking commands include commands that allow you to pre-configure a stack and commands to
manage the existing stack, including the selection of the stack management unit.
Important Points to Remember
• An S-Series stack acts much like a chassis with multiple cards. The management unit of the stack acts
like the supervisor (RPM in an C-Series or E-Series), while the member units act like line cards. For
example, a VLAN or LAG (port channel) can be comprised of interfaces from different units of the
stack.
• You manage the stack as a single switch by connecting to the management unit, which is a stack
member that gets elected by an algorithm that you can control. For details, see Management Unit
Selection Algorithm on page 85.
• The S50N, S50V, and S25P models of the S-Series can be stacked together. While the hardware
connection limit is a maximum of eight units in the stack, Dell Force10 currently only supports a stack
maximum of three units.