Reference Guide

860 | Stacking
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Cabling Stacked Switches
Before you attach cables to set up a stack of S5000 switches, ensure that the Dell Networking OS version
running on each unit is the same (
show version command) and that all switches are powered down. Review
the cabling requirements in Stacking and Cabling Requirements.
Use normal port cables to connect 10GbE and 40GbE stacking ports. Refer to the Dell Networking S5000
Installation Guide for detailed cabling information.
The following cabling procedure uses the ring topology in Figure 48-1. Follow the same steps to cable
switches in any of the stacking topologies shown in Supported Stacking Topologies. To attach the port
cables, follow these steps:
1. Connect the four 10GbE ports in a stack group on stack unit 1 to four ports in a stack group on stack
unit 2.
2. Connect four 10GbE ports in another stack group on stack unit 2 to four ports in a stack group on stack
unit 3.
3. Connect four 10GbE ports in another stack group on stack unit 3 to four ports in a stack group on stack
unit 4.
4. Connect four 10GbE ports in another stack group on stack unit 4 to four ports in a stack group on stack
unit 1.
The resulting ring topology allows the entire stack to function as a single switch with resilient fail-over
capabilities. If you do not connect the last switch to the first switch (Step 4), the stack operates in a daisy
chain topology with less resiliency. Any failure in a non-edge stack unit causes a split stack.
Accessing the Stack CLI
To configure a stack, you must access the CLI through the stack master using the console port or a VTY
line:
• Console access: You can access the stack through an attached console connection to the master switch
to log in to the CLI. Console access to the stack CLI is available on the master. The console port of the
standby unit does not provide management capability; only a limited number of commands are
available.
• Remote access: You can access the stack CLI using the IP address of the dedicated management
Ethernet interfaces on the master switch through an SNMP, SSH, or Telnet connection.
Assigning a Priority to Stacked Switches
By default, each stack unit is assigned priority 0. To configure a stack so that the roles are assigned
according to pre-determined priorities instead of using the highest MAC addresses, use the
stack-unit
priority
command in global configuration mode on each stacked switch.
Note: The S5000 does not require special stacking cables. The cables used to connect 10GbE and 40GbE data
ports are sufficient.