Administrator Guide

Switch Feature Overview 65
Stacking Features
For information about creating and maintaining a stack of switches, see
"Stacking " on page 193.
High Stack Count
The Dell Networking N2000, N3000, and N4000 Series switches include a
stacking feature that allows up to 12 switches to operate as a single unit. The
Dell Networking N1500 switches allows stack configuration up to 4 units. The
Dell Networking N2000 and N3000 Series switches have two fixed mini-SAS
stacking connectors at the rear. Dell Networking N2000 Series switches will
stack with other Dell Networking N2000 Series switches and Dell Networking
N3000 Series switches stack with other Dell Networking N3000 Series
switches.
Dell Networking N1500 Series switches stack with other Dell Networking
N1500 Series switches over front-panel ports configured for stacking. Dell
Networking N4000 Series switches stack with other Dell Networking N4000
Series switches over front-panel ports configured for stacking.
Single IP Management
When multiple switches are connected together through the stack ports, they
operate as a single unit with a larger port count. The stack operates and is
managed as a single entity. One switch acts as the master, and the entire stack
is managed through the management interface (Web, CLI, or SNMP) of the
stack master.
Master Failover with Transparent Transition
The stacking feature supports a standby or backup unit that assumes the
stack master role if the stack master fails. As soon as a stack master failure is
detected, the standby unit initializes the control plane and enables all other
stack units with the current configuration. The standby unit maintains a
synchronized copy of the running configuration for the stack.