Quick and Dirty notes on Cisco StackWise

Quick and Dirty notes on Cisco StackWise

Summary:

Models supporting	Stack Name	Bandwith Gbps	StackWise Max #	Type/ Accro	Module SKU	Cable 05m SKU	Models supporting	StackPower Max #
C2960S	FlexStack	20	4	STK-E	C2960S-STACK=	CAB-STK-E-0.5M=	C2960S	#N/A
C2960X	FlexStack-Plus Mixed with FlexStack	40	8	STK-E	C2960X-STACK=	CAB-STK-E-0.5M=	C2960X	#N/A
C2960X	FlexStack-Plus	80	8	STK-E	C2960X-STACK=	CAB-STK-E-0.5M=	C2960X	#N/A
C3750X	StackWise	64	9		Fixed in C3750x	CAB-STACK-50CM=	C3750X	4
C9200L	StackWise-80	80	8	T4	C9200L-STACK-KIT=	STACK-T4-50CM=	C9200L	4
C3650	StackWise-160	160	9	T2	C3650-STACK-KIT=	STACK-T2-50CM=	C3650	#N/A
C9200	StackWise-160	160	8	T4	C9200-STACK-KIT=	STACK-T4-50CM=	C9200	#N/A
C9300L	StackWise-320	320	9	T3	C9300L-STACK-KIT=	STACK-T3-50CM=	C9300L	4
C9300	StackWise-480	480	9	T1	Fixed in C9300	STACK-T1-50CM=	C9300	4
C3850	StackWise-480	480	9	T1	Fixed in C3850	STACK-T1-50CM=	C3850	4

C2960S:

Cisco Catalyst 2960-S Accessories

Part Numbers	Description
C2960S-STACK	FlexStack hot-swappable stacking module
CAB-STK-E-0.5M	FlexStack stacking cable with a 0.5 m length
CAB-STK-E-1M	FlexStack stacking cable with a 1.0 m length
CAB-STK-E-3M	FlexStack stacking cable with a 3.0 m length

Cisco FlexStack stacking with 20 Gbps of stack throughput (optional)

Cisco FlexStack

Cisco FlexStack provides stacking of up to four 2960-S switches through an optional module (Figure 2).

The FlexStack stack module is hot-swappable and can be added to any Cisco Catalyst 2960-S switch with LAN

Base software. Switches connected to a stack will automatically upgrade to the stack’s Cisco IOS Software version and transparently join the stack without additional intervention.

Cisco FlexStack and Cisco IOS Software provide true stacking, with all switches in a stack acting as a single switch unit. FlexStack provides a unified data plane, unified configuration, and single IP address for switch management. The advantages of true stacking include lower total cost of ownership and higher availability through simplified management and cross-stack features including EtherChannel, SPAN, and FlexLink. Note that cross-stack features must be disabled before removing the stack module from an active stack member switch.

FlexStack also allows mixed stacking: 2960-S and 2960-SF switches can be combined to provide a combination of Gigabit and Fast Ethernet ports in a single switch stack.

Figure 2.       Cisco FlexStack Switch Stack

C2960X:

Cisco Catalyst 2960-X Accessories

Part Numbers	Description
C2960X-STACK=	FlexStack-Plus hot-swappable stacking module
CAB-STK-E-0.5M=	FlexStack-Plus stacking cable with a 0.5 m length
CAB-STK-E-1M=	FlexStack-Plus stacking cable with a 1.0 m length
CAB-STK-E-3M=	FlexStack-Plus stacking cable with a 3.0 m length

FlexStack and FlexStack Plus Supported Combinations

	2960-XR IP Lite	2960-X LAN Base	2960-S/SF LAN Base
2960-XR IP Lite	Yes	-	-
2960-X LAN Base	-	Yes	Yes
2960-S or 2960-SF LAN Base	-	Yes	Yes

  FlexStack-Plus Scalability and Performance

Stack Members	Stack Bandwidth	Stack Limit	Cisco IOS Feature Set
2960-XR IP Lite	80G	8	IOS IP Lite
2960-XLAN Base	80G	8	IOS LAN Base
2960-X LAN Base mixed with 2960-S/SF LAN Base	40G	4	IOS LAN Base

C3650:

Cisco Catalyst 3650 Series Spare StackWise-160 Module, Cables and Blank
C3650-STACK-KIT=	Cisco Catalyst 3650 Stack Module spare
STACK-T2-50CM=	Cisco StackWise-160 50CM Stacking Cable Spare
STACK-T2-1M=	Cisco StackWise-160 1M Stacking Cable Spare
STACK-T2-3M=	Cisco StackWise-160 3M Stacking Cable Spare
STACK-T2-BLANK=	Cisco Catalyst 3650 Stacking Blank Spare

C3750X:

StackWise and StackPower Cables for the Cisco Catalyst 3750-X Series
CAB-STACK-50CM=	Cisco StackWise 50 cm stacking cable
CAB-STACK-1M=	Cisco StackWise 1 m stacking cable
CAB-STACK-3M=	Cisco StackWise 3 m stacking cable
CAB-STACK-50CM-NH=	Cisco StackWise 50 cm nonhalogen lead-free stacking cable
CAB-STACK-1M-NH=	Cisco StackWise 1 m nonhalogen lead-free stacking cable
CAB-STACK-3M-NH=	Cisco StackWise 3 m nonhalogen lead-free stacking cable

C3850:

StackWise-480 and StackPower Cables for the Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series
STACK-T1-50CM=	Cisco StackWise-480 50cm stacking cable spare
STACK-T1-1M=	Cisco StackWise-480 1m stacking cable spare
STACK-T1-3M=	Cisco StackWise-480 3m stacking cable spare
CAB-SPWR-30CM=	Cisco Catalyst 3850 StackPower cable 30cm spare
CAB-SPWR-150CM=	Cisco Catalyst 3850 StackPower cable 150cm spare

C9200:

Supported stacking options

Model	Stacking support	Stacking bandwidth support	Stacking hardware	Number of members	Supported stack members
Modular models (C9200 SKUs)	StackWise®-160	160 Gbps	C9200-STACK-KIT	8	Other C9200 models with same license level
Fixed models (C9200L SKUs)	StackWise-80	80 Gbps	C9200L-STACK-KIT	8	Other C9200L models with same license level

Mixed stacking is not supported. You cannot stack fixed (C9200L SKUs) with modular (C9200 SKUs) models, or other Catalyst switches, e.g. Cisco Catalyst 2960-X and 2960-XR Series.

The optional StackWise-160 and StackWise-80 kits consist of two adapters and a stacking cable. The default stacking cable is 0.5 m, but options of 1 m and 3 m are also available. Table 5 lists the stacking accessories.

Stacking accessories

Model	Description
C9200-STACK-KIT	Stack kit for C9200 SKUs only: Two data stack adapters and one data stack cable
C9200L-STACK-KIT	Stack kit for C9200L SKUs only: Two data stack adapters and one data stack cable
STACK-T4-50CM	Data stack 50 cm cable (default cable with Stack Kit)
STACK-T4-1M	Data stack 1 m cable
STACK T4-3M	Data stack 3 m cable

       

StackWise-80 and StackWise-160 Kit and cables
Product number	Product description
C9200-STACK-KIT=	C9200 Stack Kit Spare
C9200L-STACK-KIT=	C9200L Stack Kit Spare
STACK-T4-50CM	50CM Type 3 Stacking Cable
STACK-T4-50CM=	50CM Type 3 Stacking Cable, spare
STACK-T4-1M	1M Type 3 Stacking Cable
STACK-T4-1M=	1M Type 3 Stacking Cable, spare
STACK-T4-3M	3M Type 3 Stacking Cable
STACK-T4-3M=	3M Type 3 Stacking Cable, spare

C9300

Switch models and configurations

Models	FRU Power Supply	FRU Fans	Modular Uplinks	Stacking Bandwidth Support	Cisco StackPower	Catalyst 9800 Embedded WLC	SD-Access Support
Modular uplink models (C9300 SKUs)	✓	✓	✓	480 Gbps	✓	Yes (200 APs)	Yes (256 Virtual Networks)
Fixed uplink Models (C9300L SKUs)	✓	✓	✗	320 Gbps	✗	Yes (50 APs)	Yes (64 Virtual Networks)

Supported stacking options

Model	Stacking support	Stacking bandwidth support	Optional Stacking hardware	Number of members	Supported stack members
Modular uplink models (C9300 SKUs)	StackWise®-480	480 Gbps	StackWise Cable	8	Other C9300 SKUs with same license level
Fixed uplink models (C9300L SKUs)	StackWise-320	320 Gbps	C9300L-STACK-KIT	8	Other C9300L SKUs with same license level

Cisco StackWise-480 and StackPower cables
Product number	Product description
STACK-T1-50CM=	Cisco StackWise-480 50cm stacking cable spare
STACK-T1-1M=	Cisco StackWise-480 1m stacking cable spare
STACK-T1-3M=	Cisco StackWise-480 3m stacking cable spare
CAB-SPWR-30CM=	Cisco Catalyst 3850 StackPower cable 30cm spare
CAB-SPWR-150CM=	Cisco Catalyst 3850 StackPower cable 150cm spare
Cisco StackWise-320 Accessories
Product number	Product description
C9300L-STACK-KIT	Stack Kit for C9300L SKUs – includes 2 Stack Adaptors and 1 Stack Cable
C9300L-STACK-KIT=	Stack Kit for C9300L SKUs – includes 2 Stack Adaptors and 1 Stack Cable, spare
STACK-T3-50CM	50CM Type 3 Stacking Cable – default with Stack Kit for C9300L SKUs
STACK-T3-50CM=	50CM Type 3 Stacking Cable, spare for C9300L SKUs
STACK-T3-1M	1M Type 3 Stacking Cable for C9300L SKUs
STACK-T3-1M=	1M Type 3 Stacking Cable, spare for C9300L SKUs
STACK-T3-3M	3M Type 3 Stacking Cable for C9300L SKUs
STACK-T3-3M=	3M Type 3 Stacking Cable, spare for C9300L SKUs

C9500

Cisco StackWise Virtual

StackWise Virtual is an advanced stacking technology that supports both access and distribution deployments through multiple topologies (such as two nodes or a ring). It provides higher scale for system virtualization at the network layer. The Cisco Catalyst 9500 Series supports StackWise Virtual with a 2-node topology on select models at FCS. Refer to the Release Notes for limitations.

StackWise Virtual in the distribution layer of the network interacts with the access and core layer switches as if it were a single logical switch. An access/core switch connects to both switches of the StackWise Virtual switch using one logical port channel called a Multichassis EtherChannel (MEC). The MEC enables the StackWise Virtual switches to provide redundancy and load balancing on the port channel.

This capability enables a loop-free Layer 2 network topology, since the StackWise Virtual switches are treated as one logical switch for both access and core switches. The StackWise Virtual switch also simplifies the Layer 3 network topology by presenting itself as one logical switch, thus reducing the number of routing peers in the network.

  

MERAKI STACKING:

SG550X STACKING:

Stacking
Hardware stack	Up to 8 units in a stack. Up to 400 ports managed as a single system with hardware failover.
High availability	Fast stack failover delivers minimal traffic loss. Support link aggregation across multiple units in a stack.
Plug-and-play stacking configuration/management	Master/backup for resilient stack control Autonumbering Hot swap of units in stack Ring and chain stacking options, autostacking port speed, flexible stacking port options
High-speed stack interconnects	Cost-effective high-speed 10G fiber and copper interfaces. Support LAG as stacking interconnects for even higher bandwidth.

STACK RING EX:

Below an example of a stack, and the cable connections, then the Stack Ring and the path that a packet must follow to go from one switch to another one.