Stacking Dell PowerConnect Switches: 8132, 8132F, 8164, 8164F
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Managing the standby unit
If the Master unit fails or is taken offline, a Standby unit automatically takes place as Master. During
this time there is no
more than a 50 ms interruption in unicast connectivity.
The commands below are used to manage your Standy unit.
Command-line interface method
To find out which unit is currently in Standby status, run the
show switch
command.
console#
show switch
Management Standby Preconfig Plugged-in Switch Code
SW Status Status Model ID Model ID Status Version
--- ---------- --------- ---------- ------------- ---------- ---------
1 Mgmt Sw
PCT8164F PCT8164F OK 5.0.0.3
2 Stack Mbr Oper Stby PCT8132F PCT8132F OK 5.0.0.3
3 Stack Mbr PCT8132F PCT8132F OK 5.0.0.3
The
Standby Status
column shows which unit is in Standby mode. There are two standby modes:
Oper
Stby
and
Cfg Stby
.
Oper
Stby is selected 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
console#
show switch
Management Standby Preconfig Plugged-in Switch Code
SW Status Status Model ID Model ID Status Version
--- ---------- --------- ---------- ------------- ---------- ---------
1 Mgmt Sw
PCT8164F PCT8164F OK 5.0.0.3
2 Stack Mbr PCT8132F PCT8132F OK 5.0.0.3
3 Stack Mbr Oper Stby PCT8132F PCT8132F OK 5.0.0.3
This method cannot be used to assign the current Stack Master to the Standby role and results in an
error. In the event 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 failover
The system has unsaved changes.
