Stack Management
Stack Topology
Cisco 500 Series Stackable Managed Switch Administration Guide
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Ring Topology—All the units in the stack are connected in a chain. The last
unit is connected to the first unit.
Figure 3
shows a ring topology:
Figure 3 Stack in Ring Topology
A ring topology is more reliable than a chain topology. The failure of one link in a
ring does not affect the function of the stack, whereas the failure of one link in a
chain connection causes the stack to be split.
Topology Discovery
A stack is established by a process called topology discovery. This process is
triggered by a change in the up/down status of a stack port.
The process is triggered in the following cases:
•
Changing the stack topology from a ring to a chain
•
Merging two stacks into a single stack
•
Splitting the stack
•
Inserting other slave units to the stack, for instance because the units were
previously disconnected from the stack, due to failure. This might happen in
chain topology if a unit in the middle of the stack fails.