Advanced Traffic Management Guide K/KA/KB.15.15

8 Stack management for the 3800 switches
NOTE: All commands previously in the Summary of commands table are indexed under the entry
Command syntax.
Introduction
This feature is available on the HP 3800 switches only. See the HP 3800 Switch Installation and
Getting Started Guide for information on supported stacking topologies.
NOTE: This feature is different from the stacking feature that is implemented on some other HP
Networking switches. The other feature is implemented via the front-panel networking cables, and
it does not have the high bandwidth and redundancy features of the HP 3800 stacking.
The stacking feature for the HP 3800 switches allows you to connect up to ten switches and have
them act as a single high-bandwidth switch for both data and management.
One switch in the stack is designated as “Commander” and one switch is elected to be the
“Standby.” The other switches are designated “Member.” The Commander is responsible for the
overall management of the stack. The Standby provides redundancy for the stack and takes over
stack management operations should the Commander fail, or if a Commander failover is forced
by an administrator. The Members are not part of the overall stack management, however, they
must manage their local subsystems and ports to operate correctly as part of the stack. The
Commander and Standby are also responsible for their own local subsystems and ports.
HP Switch Stack Management (stacking) enables you to use a single IP address and standard
network cabling to manage a group of up to 16 total switches in the same IP subnet (broadcast
domain). Using stacking for the HP 3800 switches enables you to:
• Simplify management of small workgroups or wiring closets while scaling your network to
handle increased bandwidth demand.
• Add switches to your network without having to first perform IP addressing tasks.
• Reduce the number of IP addresses needed in your network.
• Reduce downtime with high availability in the event of a failure.
NOTE: In the default configuration, stacking is enabled on HP 3800 switches. However, if an
HP 3800 switch is powered on and it does not have a Stacking Module installed, stacking is
disabled. If a Stacking Module is subsequently installed in the switch, stacking must be enabled
from the switch CLI (in the config context) by entering the following command:
HP Switch(config)#: stacking enable
Configuring a stack
Creating a stack
Ways to create a stack include:
• By the sequence in which the switches are booted. You choose which member becomes
Commander.
• Plug-and-go method. Ensure that stacking is enabled on all the switches, and then connect
them together in the desired stacking topology. The plug-and-go method lets stacking decide
which member is the Commander.
Introduction 291