NETGEAR FS700TS, Software Administration Manual

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FS700TS Smart Switch Software Administration Manual
Managing System Settings 3-9
v1.0, September 2007
• “Removing and Replacing Stacking Members”
• “Inserting a Stacking Member”
• “Exchanging Stacking Members”
• “Switching the Stacking Master”
• “Stack Configuration and Management”
Understanding Stack Topology
Stacked devices operate in a Ring or chain topology. The Ring topology connects all stacked
devices in a circle. Each stacked device accepts data and sends it to the device to which it is
physically connected. The packet continues through the stack until it reaches the destination port.
The system automatically discovers the optimal path by which to send traffic. A chain topology
connects stacking members from one to the next. This provides a single data path flow. The
stacking members linked in the middle of the chain are connection to the stacking member on
either side of them. The members on the ends of the chain only have one connection. Stacking
Ring Topology
One of the benefits of the Ring topology is that it offers redundancy in case the connections
between two units fail, including the case where a unit in the stack fails. If a failure occurs in the
stacking topology, the stack reverts to Chain Stacking Topology. In the Chain topology, devices
operate in a chain formation. The system automatically switches to a Stacking Failover topology
without any system downtime. An SNMP message is automatically generated, but no stack
management action is required. However, the stacking link or stacking member must be repaired
to return to the Ring topology.
After the stacking issues are resolved, the device can be reconnected to the stack without
interruption and the Ring topology is restored.
Stacking Ports
The mode type determines the Gigabit Ethernet ports that are configurable by the user.
• In Standalone mode all Gigabit Ethernet ports are available.
• In Stack mode two dedicated Gigabit Ethernet ports are used for stack connection.
The factory default of the device is stacking mode. Use the Stack Management screen to configure
a unit to operate in standalone mode.
The ports used for stacking can be either the combo ports or the copper ports. By default, the
copper ports are reserved for stacking. The Stack Management screen allows network managers to
configure the combo ports as the stacking ports. The factory default of the device is stacking mode.