topic Re: Stacking port order question in ExtremeSwitching (EXOS/Switch Engine)

Stacking port order question

jclayconn — Sat, 11 Feb 2023 04:36:47 GMT

Hello,

I have created a stack of 4 x440-48p g2 switches using the alternate stacking ports. The switch stack is in production and is working, but I realized afterwards that while wiring the stack up in the rack I did the stacking ports exactly opposite of what I was supposed to do. I wired the stacking ports switch A:1 to switch B:2, B:1 to C:2, C:1 to D:2, and D:1 to A:2. I had the stack correctly wired, A:2 to B:1, B:2 to C:1, C:2 to D:1, and D:2 to A:1, in the lab when creating the stack and building the config.

Like I said, the stack is working, and the slots are in the right order still. I've never thought about it before because I assumed it wouldn't work if wired up like this, but here we are and it's working.

My question is, does the port order only really matter when initially configuring the stack? I know that's how the slots get assigned in easy stacking. I just assumed that that's the only way you could wire one up and it would work afterwards too.

Re: Stacking port order question

Brent_Addis — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 19:53:46 GMT

I don't see anything particularly wrong with that, Yes it's in reverse, but the switches still see each other.

I guess the litmus test would be the diagnostic output.

Use "show stacking" on the master and it'll show what the switches think of your config.

If it's running correctly, it should say it is in a ring, along with active ports.

Re: Stacking port order question

Gabriel_G — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 15:48:49 GMT

Hello!

This should be OK. EXOS is pretty open to having ports/slots in whatever order you'd like, as long as you can keep up with which slot is which. I would generally advise to keep slots in a sequential order (IE NOT 1,3,2,4, back to 1), but the specific stack port used to go upstream vs downstream shouldn't matter.

Hope that helps!