Understanding Stack Resiliency; Understanding Advanced Stacking; Unit Ids; Stack Master - Linksys SFE2000P - Managed Ethernet Switch Reference Manual

3. Power the units on. After a short interval, they will become stack members, but will have
automatically-assigned Unit IDs. Assign each such unit its desired Unit ID (using the Stack
Management Interface through the console port, by Telnet, or by using the graphical user interface
(GUI).
4. Reset the units to make this assignment permanent.
NOTE: We recommended that if you manually assign a
Unit ID to one unit, you manually assign Unit IDs to all
units. Using a mix of both system-assigned and manually-
assigned IDs in your network can impact system
performance.
The unit that is assigned the Unit ID 1 is the Stack Master, and its front panel "MST" LED lights green.
The unit assigned the Unit ID 2 is the Backup Master.

Understanding Stack Resiliency

Stacks can be configured in ring or chain topologies. We recommend configuring the stack in ring
topology, due to the high resiliency in case of unit failure or stacking links failure.
Additionally, if a redundant power supply is present, we recommend connecting the Stack Master and
Backup Master units to the redundant power supply.

Understanding Advanced Stacking

To understand advanced stacking, you must understand Unit IDs and how they are allocated, and the
stack unit startup process.

Unit IDs

Each unit in a stack has an assigned unique Unit ID number. The following sections describe the Unit
IDs and their characteristics.

Stack Master

The unit assigned the Unit ID number 1 serves as the Stack Master. All other units are stack members.
The Stack Master provides a single point of control, configuration and management for the entire stack,
and stores the configuration for all stack members. (Members do not store any configuration
information.)

Stack Backup Master

The unit assigned the Unit ID number 2 is a special stack member that serves as the stack Backup
Master. A stack Backup Master assumes the role of Stack Master for the remaining stack members if the
stack Master fails or is disconnected.
Chapter 2:
SFE2000/SFE2000P Gigabit Ethernet Switch Reference Guide
Chapter
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