
Switch Stacking and Power Stacking Guidelines
Before connecting the switches in a stack, keep in mind these stacking guidelines:
• Size of the switch and any optional power-supply module. The 1100-W power-supply module is longer
than the other modules. Stacking switches with the same power-supply modules together makes it easier
to cable the switches.
• Length of cable. Depending on the configurations that you have, you might need different-sized cables.
If you do not specify the length of the StackWise cable, the 0.5-meter cable is supplied. If you need the
1-meter cable or the 3-meter cable, you can order it from your Cisco supplier. For cable part numbers,
see
. The
Data Stack Cabling Configurations, on page 38
provides examples
of recommended configurations.
• For rack-mounted switch stacks that are members of a StackPower stack as well as a data stack, see
Planning a StackPower Stack, on page 40
.
• You can create data stacks with up to nine switches in a stack.
Special considerations for the following switch models:
• WS-C3850-24XS-E
• WS-C3850-24XS-S
• WS-C3850-24XU-E
• WS-C3850-24XU-L
• WS-C3850-24XU-S
• WS-C3850-12X48U-L
• WS-C3850-12X48U-S
• WS-C3850-12X48U-E
Information:
• If you set up a stack with these switches, the stack can have a maximum of 8 switches only. Each of the
above switch models have 4 ASIC chips, and the maximum number of ASIC chips per stack cannot
exceed 32.
• If you set up a stack that contains the above switches and other Catalyst 3850 switches, ensure that the
maximum number of ASIC chips is 32.
Note
The Catalyst WS-C3850-48XS switch models do not support power stacking.
Note
Catalyst 3850 Switch Hardware Installation Guide
37
OL-26779-05
Switch Installation
Switch Stacking and Power Stacking Guidelines