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A Dell Deployment and Configuration Guide

Stacking Dell Networking Switches: N4032,
N4032F, N4064, N4064F

Dell Engineering
February 2014

Summary of Contents for Networking N4032

Page 1: ...A Dell Deployment and Configuration Guide Stacking Dell Networking Switches N4032 N4032F N4064 N4064F Dell Engineering February 2014 ...

Page 2: ...d other Cisco Catalyst are registered trademarks of Cisco System Inc EMC VNX and EMC Unisphere are registered trademarks of EMC Corporation Intel Pentium Xeon Core and Celeron are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation in the U S and other countries AMD is a registered trademark and AMD Opteron AMD Phenom and AMD Sempron are trademarks of Advanced Micro Devices Inc Microsoft Windows Windows Se...

Page 3: ... QSFP quad breakout cables 12 2 2 Creating a Stack 13 2 2 1 Command line interface method 14 2 2 2 Web interface method 17 2 2 3 Automatic firmware updates for new members joining the stack 21 2 3 Adding new member units to a stack 23 2 3 1 Command line interface method 23 2 3 2 Web interface method 27 2 4 Updating firmware on a stack 31 2 4 1 Command line interface method 31 2 4 2 Web interface m...

Page 4: ...the stack The new Master unit also continues to use the original Master unit s MAC addresses which helps to reduce disruptions to the network When a failed Master re joins the stack it does so as a member not a Master unless a new Master has not had time to be elected Note Dell N4032 N4032F N4064 and N4064F series switches can be mixed in any combination within a stack This document provides an ea...

Page 5: ...ember is then activated and the new member is rebooted 1 3 Dell Networking 8100 Support Dell Networking 81xx 81xxF switches can be stacked with Dell Networking N4000 switches but only if all switches in the stack are running 6 0 0 8 firmware or later and all switches in the stack are running the same firmware revision The firmware must be applied to the switches before they are added to the stack ...

Page 6: ...not updated to match the Master switch The hardware configuration of every switch is updated to match the Master switch unit number slot configuration stack member number and so on Note Auto downgrade of a stack is enabled by default To avoid accidentally downgrading a stack be sure to disable auto downgrade CLI command no boot auto copy sw allow downgrade 1 7 Metadata considerations When creating...

Page 7: ...002a203001ec9ddad5b exit Notice there is only one member line in the configuration If there were multiple members in the stack then there would be multiple member lines in the configuration such as stack member 1 1 N4064F member 2 2 N4064F member 3 3 N4032F Note A single stack member configuration is always present on stack capable switches even if they are not part of an actual stack The single s...

Page 8: ...n the unit that was the Management Unit before the reboot remains the Management Unit after the stack resumes operation A Unit number for the switch can be manually set To avoid unit number conflicts one of the following scenarios takes place when adding a new member to the stack If the switch has a unit number that is already in use then the unit added to the stack changes its configured unit num...

Page 9: ... The former Master becomes a regular stack member automatically To select a particular physical unit to be Master during initial setup simply boot it up completely before powering on any of the other switches All subsequent members added to the stack will join as regular stack members When simultaneously booting two or more switches to initially create a stack the Master is chosen based on the hig...

Page 10: ...10 Stacking Dell Networking Switches N4032 N4032F N4064 N4064F ...

Page 11: ...entioned otherwise all scenarios below assume the switches are using the static ports that are hard wired into the switches and that no modules are installed providing additional ports However ports from an installed expansion module are supported and may be used for stacking The following expansion modules are supported for stacking in Dell N4000 switches 10GBASE T MODULE LNK ACT 10Gbase T four p...

Page 12: ...before setting it to stack mode described in the next section From the interface configuration CLI prompt use the hardware profile command to set the port to this mode The command is console config if Fo1 0 1 hardware profile portmode 4x10g This command will not take effect until the switch is rebooted When the portmode changes on a port so do the interface names For example a QSFP port may be nam...

Page 13: ...configured as stacking ports in order to stack This scenario shows steps to create a stack Figure 9 shows one example of connectivity between stack members 19 21 23 20 22 24 17 18 11 13 15 12 14 16 9 10 3 5 7 4 6 8 1 2 ACT LNK QSFP MODULE ACT LNK ACT LNK 2 8 6 4 1 7 5 3 10 16 14 12 9 15 13 11 18 24 22 20 17 23 21 19 ACT LNK QSFP MODULE ACT LNK ACT LNK ACT LNK ACT LNK 7 9 15 13 11 17 23 21 19 25 31...

Page 14: ... in parallel when only stacking two switches When stacking three or more switches up to 4 cables can be connected in parallel between members It is recommended to have the same bandwidth between the stack members It is also recommended to connect the stack in a ring topology for resiliency Figure 10 shows an example of connecting four stack ports between each stacking peer Note In a stack of three...

Page 15: ...net Ethernet Detach 10 Te1 1 2 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1 1 3 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1 1 4 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1 1 5 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1 1 6 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1 1 7 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 Te1 1 8 Ethernet Ethernet Detach 10 The example above shows a Dell N4032F with a QSFP two port expansion module installed The two 40G QSFP ports are represented ...

Page 16: ...ports on the last and first switch to create a ring topology if desired 2 Once the switches have been configured remove power from all switches 3 While powered off cable all of the switches together using the stack ports that were configured 4 Select the switch to be the Master switch and power up that switch only allowing a few minutes to boot up completely 5 Verify the switch is up by logging in...

Page 17: ...stacking use the command show switch stack ports include Stack Figure 11 shows the Stack LED that is located on the back panel of every Dell N4000 series switch Stacking LED for the Dell N4000 N4000F series switch Figure 11 When the switch is the Master of a stack the LED glows solid blue If it is a stack member only it glows a solid amber When in stand alone mode the LED is off Note Each stack me...

Page 18: ...ntering the IP address of the switch into a supported Web browser A username and password is required and should be setup beforehand on each switch See the switch User Guide for more information regarding username password and Web access After login the first screen to appear is the Home screen which shows the current stacking member number Before stacking the single member has the Stack number of...

Page 19: ... stacking For this example ports Te1 0 7 and Te1 0 8 are used Selecting the Edit check box activates the drop down menu in the Configured Stack mode column Use this menu to change port modes from Ethernet to Stack Click Apply This will set the Configured Stack Mode to Stack but the Running Stack Mode remains Ethernet until the switch is reloaded as instructed below ...

Page 20: ...boot up completely Verify the switch is up by logging into the CLI Once the Master is up power up the next switch in line Allow the second switch 30 seconds to boot up then power up the third switch Continue to power up each switch allowing 30 seconds between powering switches This allows each adjacent switch to be active before the next one Failure to wait may result in another switch becoming th...

Page 21: ...is off Note Each stack members role including the Master and Standby can be defined at any time after the initial stack is created 2 2 3 Automatic firmware updates for new members joining the stack For member units to work properly within a stack they need to have the same firmware as the Master Perform a manual update of the firmware on a new member to synchronize the firmware prior to cabling it...

Page 22: ...ck member unit s firmware disable the Allow Downgrade option on the Master This allows all new member units to synchronize with the Master only if the firmware revision of the new members is older than that of the Master Use the System Stack Management Stack Firmware Synchronization page to view and set these features Save the configuration to the Startup Configuration on the System File Managemen...

Page 23: ...ew stack member consult the User Guide under Preconfiguring a Stack Member 2 3 1 Command line interface method Run the commands below on the switch to be added using either the console port or a telnet session console show switch stack ports Configured Running Stack Stack Link Link Interface Mode Mode Status Speed Gb s Te1 0 1 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down Unknown Te1 0 2 Ethernet Ethernet Link Down...

Page 24: ... the steps in the following section to properly add the stacking cables and complete the process 2 3 1 1 Ring vs daisy chain topology If the original stack is cabled in a ring topology a stacking port on the last switch is connected to a stacking port on the first switch The entire stack continues to work correctly through the process of adding a new switch regardless of where the new switch is ca...

Page 25: ...witch to be added 2 Unplug the stacking cables from any existing member going to another existing member in the stack Only unplug the cables from one end leaving them plugged into the other member 3 Note Only half of the stack cables in this member will be unplugged The cables going in the other direction to a third existing member will not be removed 4 Plug the other end of the new cables of the ...

Page 26: ...added to the stack as well as which ones are being used for stacking If a switch SW number is configured prior to adding it to the stack and there are no other devices using that number then the switch continues to use the same number Otherwise the switch sets its number to the lowest unassigned number upon joining the stack Note Once added to a stack a switch s out of band IP address and console ...

Page 27: ...be added Selecting System Stack Management Stack Summary shows the current configuration before adding a new member Note The example given below allows a new member to be added without preconfiguring the existing stack though each new member itself needs to be configured To preconfigure a stack before connecting the new stack member consult the User Guide under Preconfiguring a Stack Member On the...

Page 28: ...p down menu in the Configured Stack mode column to put each port in stack mode The Configured Stack Mode is now Stack but the Running Stack mode does not show Stack until the switch is reloaded as instructed below Save the configuration to the Startup Configuration using the System File Management Copy Files page After saving the configuration remove power from the switch ...

Page 29: ...wo stacks Adding a new switch to the either end of the daisy chain allows all other members to stay in constant communication and in turn allow the stack to stay intact during the process On a daisy chain stack 1 Configure the existing stack with new stack ports to be used to connect to the new switch 2 Cable the new switch into the existing stack 3 Power up the new switch The switch will be added...

Page 30: ...rior to adding it to the stack and there are no other devices using that number then the switch continues to use the same number Otherwise the switch sets its number to the lowest unassigned number upon joining the stack Note Once added to a stack a switch s out of band IP address and console port are no longer accessible to the user Use the IP address and console port of the Master unit for manag...

Page 31: ... the following console show version Image Descriptions active backup Images currently available on Flash unit active backup current active next active 1 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 1 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 8 2 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 1 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 8 3 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 1 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 8 4 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 1 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 8 Each member of the stack is updated with the latest firmware simply by updating the Master switch The commands be...

Page 32: ...e was only copied into the backup image for each member console show version Image Descriptions active backup Images currently available on Flash unit active backup current active next active 1 6 0 0 8 6 0 1 3 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 8 2 6 0 0 8 6 0 1 3 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 8 3 6 0 0 8 6 0 1 3 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 8 4 6 0 0 8 6 0 1 3 6 0 0 8 6 0 0 8 The next step is to activate the image that contains the new firmware by...

Page 33: ... than a single switch After reload the firmware upgrade is complete To validate login to the stack Master and perform a show version command For the example given the following is displayed console show version Image Descriptions active backup Images currently available on Flash unit active backup current active next active 1 6 0 1 3 6 0 0 8 6 0 1 3 6 0 1 3 2 6 0 1 3 6 0 0 8 6 0 1 3 6 0 1 3 3 6 0 ...

Page 34: ...shots below demonstrate how to copy the firmware to the Master using a TFTP server The stack needs access to a TFTP server on the network and the firmware file needs to be present in the download folder of the TFTP server From the System File Management File Download page select the appropriate settings The most common settings are shown here Click Apply A warning will appear ...

Page 35: ...may take several minutes longer than updating a single non stacked switch The following screen appears for several minutes while the firmware is being downloaded to the Master and distributed to all members of the stack Once the file has been distributed to the entire stack the following dialog box appears ...

Page 36: ...hat the new firmware was downloaded to all members of the stack Notice the firmware was only copied into the backup image for each member The next step is to activate the image that contains the new firmware using the drop down menus in the Next Active Image column In this example the backup image is selected for each unit ...

Page 37: ...2F N4064 N4064F After selecting backup for each unit click Apply Go to the System General Reset page to reload the switch Click Apply to reload all switches in the stack If the following screen appears click OK Click OK again if this screen appears ...

Page 38: ...tch login again to the Web UI of the stack Master and then go to System File Management Active Images Notice that as the backup versions become active the previous active versions now become the backup This allows the administrator to toggle back to the previous image if needed for troubleshooting Going back to the previous version is rarely ever used and must be done with extreme caution if the n...

Page 39: ...N4032F N4032F OK 6 0 1 3 3 Stack Mbr N4064 N4064 OK 6 0 1 3 2 5 1 Command line interface method Since any interface on these switches can be used for stacking make sure to verify exactly which ports are being used for stacking so they are un cabled and re routed last This information is found with the following command console show switch stack ports include Stack Interface Stack Mode Stack Mode S...

Page 40: ...ed in the last step below Do not remove or re route stacking cables until prompted Disconnect all other links on the member to be removed and re route the traffic that was going through this unit so it now goes through the ports that were prepared on the remaining stack unit members Caution In the next step make sure to keep track of all ports being used for stacking that will be temporarily unplu...

Page 41: ...LNK ACT SWITCH REMOVED FROM STACK Removal of a stack unit Figure 14 Removal of a stack unit results in one or more freed cables In this example a single cable red that was used to link Unit 2 to Unit 3 has been freed up The other cable that was going from Unit 1 to Unit 2 is now used to connect Unit 1 to Unit 3 using the same stack ports that were used initially to once again complete the ring top...

Page 42: ...switches in the stack While this feature may be used at any time it is most commonly used after a switch has been removed and the remaining unit numbers are no longer consecutive While inconsecutive numbers or numbers out of order do not impact traffic in any way keeping an order can help quickly identify individual units and ports A switch may be any number between 1 and 6 as long as it is not al...

Page 43: ... config stack no member 3 console config stack show switch Management Standby Preconfig Plugged in Switch Code SW Status Status Model ID Model ID Status Version 1 Mgmt Sw N4032 N4032 OK 6 0 1 3 2 Stack Mbr Oper Stby N4064 N4064 OK 6 0 1 3 2 5 1 5 Config Mismatch A Config Mismatch in the Switch Status column indicates inconsistent entries in the Preconfigured Model Identifier and Plugged in Model I...

Page 44: ... ID Model ID Status Version 2 Stack Mbr Oper Stby N4032F N4032F OK 6 0 1 3 3 Unassigned N4032F Not Present 0 0 0 0 4 Mgmt Sw N4064 N4064 OK 6 0 1 3 console config console config stack console config stack show supported switchtype SID Switch Model ID 1 N4032 note that N4032 is a 1 2 N4032F 3 N4064 4 N4064F console config stack no member 3 console config stack member 3 1 use the 1 here to indicate ...

Page 45: ...red Note A duplicate address could occur on the network if another device was assigned the IP address of the device while it was a stack member If this occurs simply detach the device from the network and change the IP address through the console port Meta data will remains on the switch until cleared or changes are made to the stack settings but will not affect functions of the switch For example...

Page 46: ...associated with these interfaces Use the locate switch CLI command to blink the blue Locator LED on the switch unit you are trying to locate console locate switch 2 The LED locator light on switch 2 blinks for 20 seconds The length of time the LED continues to blink can be changed using the locate time ssss command where ssss is the time in seconds for the LED to blink 2 5 2 1 Removing the physica...

Page 47: ...g removed does not need to be powered off Keeping the switches powered on automatically brings it to a stand along state as the stack cables are removed In the example below the red cable will be removed from the configuration along with the switch 19 21 23 20 22 24 17 18 11 13 15 12 14 16 9 10 3 5 7 4 6 8 1 2 ACT LNK 2 8 6 4 1 7 5 3 10 16 14 12 9 15 13 11 18 24 22 20 17 23 21 19 ACT LNK ACT LNK A...

Page 48: ...Unit 2 to Unit 3 has been freed up The other cable that was going from Unit 1 to Unit 2 is now used to connect Unit 1 to Unit 3 using the same stack ports that were used initially to once again complete the ring topology Move this cable to complete the stack unit removal process 2 5 2 2 Validation To validate the stack unit was removed and that the remaining stack members are still intact go to Sy...

Page 49: ...heck the Remove Switch check box at the bottom of the bottom of the screen Clicking Apply deletes the removed switch from the stack configuration on the running configuration Go back to the Stack Summary screen to verify the switch was removed A backup of the configuration copying the running configuration to the startup configuration in System File Management Copy Files is required to make the ch...

Page 50: ...rs out of order do not impact traffic in any way keeping an order can help quickly identify individual units and ports A switch may be any number between 1 and 6 as long as it is not already taken by another switch If it is desired to renumber the switch units to show consecutively numbered units e g units 1 2 3 instead of 1 2 4 it will require a brief reset of the stack and clear the configuratio...

Page 51: ...e that scripts and monitoring parameters may need to be modified In this example there are two stack members numbered 1 and 3 To change Unit 3 to Unit 2 go to System Stack Management Unit Configuration and select the Switch ID to change Enter the new Switch ID into the Change Switch ID to field and click Apply Click OK on the next screen Allow a few minutes for the switch to renumber then verify t...

Page 52: ...ion screen and then select the Remove Switch check box at the bottom Clicking Apply deletes the removed switch from the stack configuration on the running configuration Go back to the Stack Summary screen to verify the switch was removed A backup of the configuration copying the running configuration to the startup configuration in System File Management Copy Files is required to make the change p...

Page 53: ...ew unit is added to the stack when the stack has been preconfigured to expect a different switch model In the picture below these columns show a preconfigured model of N4064 and a plugged in model of N4032F The plugged in model will always be the actual model that is physically a member of the stack The preconfigured model must be changed to show the same To sync the two the Unit must temporarily ...

Page 54: ...occur on the network if another device was assigned the IP address of the device while it was a stack member If this occurs simply detach the device from the network and change the IP address through the console port Meta data remains on the switch until cleared or changes are made to the stack settings but will not affect functions of the switch For example a stand alone switch is assigned to be ...

Page 55: ...automatically by the Master during stack creation If the administrator decides to select a different unit to be Standby then it is labeled Cfg Stby Both Standby modes work identically In this example unit 2 is the stack standby for the Master unit To change the standby to a different unit use the standby x command Verify the change with the show switch command console config stack standby 3 consol...

Page 56: ... in using the same IP address as before 3 1 2 Web interface method In case the Master unit fails a Standby unit is automatically configured to take place as Master To find out which unit is currently in Standby status go to the System Stack Management Stack Summary screen The Standby Status column shows which unit is in Standby mode There are two standby modes Oper Stby and Cfg Stby Oper Stby is s...

Page 57: ... after a reload Verify the new Standby switch from the Stack Summary screen If there is a need to change the role of the Master or make the Standby the Master use the initiate failover command from the Command Line Interface This command results in a warm restart of the stack Master triggering the Standby unit to take over as a new Master switch console config stack console config stack initiate f...

Page 58: ...hrough the console port the session will no longer be valid The console port on the new Master switch will now be activated for management The IP and MAC addresses of the stack remains the same with the new Master If using a telnet session log in using the same IP address as before ...

Page 59: ...ows only ports in stack mode stack from config Stack configuration mode stack port fortygigabitether 1 1 1 stack from config stack Turns on stacking on a port copy running config startup config Backs up the running configuration show version m Shows firmware and CPU versions on units copy tftp 10 10 1 10 N4000v6 0 1 3 stk backup Example of firmware download using tftp boot system backup Activates ...

Page 60: ...work switch versions Version information for the network switches used in creating this document are as follows Network switch Dell N4000 Software version 6 0 0 8 6 0 1 1 6 0 1 3 About Dell Dell is a leading technology provider to commercial and public enterprises around the world ...

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