Configuring Switch Stacks using UI Groups

Aruba Central supports both Backplane stacking (BPS) and Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) switch stacking. You can create switch stacks and add stack members through the UI. The stack configuration is possible only when the switches are online.

Stacks created using UI groups can only be managed in a UI group. If a device is moved to a template group, then the device cannot be managed in a UI group without rebuilding the stack. Fiber modules / SFPThe Small Form-factor Pluggable. SFP is a compact, hot-pluggable transceiver that is used for both telecommunication and data communications applications. ports are manageable in a UI group when the stack is created .These modules are available for configuration at the device level context.

Onboarding commander and members to Aruba Central

The following is a high-level process flow for configuring switch stacks:

1. Add the switches to the device inventory and assign a valid subscription. All the switch members must be set to factory default and powered off.

2. Power on the switch you intend to add as a commander. The switch comes up online in Central as a standalone switch.

3. Create a stack with the standalone switch. After stack creation, the switch will reboot and comes up as a stack commander. For more information, see Creating a switch stack.

4. Add members to the stack when the commander is active. For more information, see Adding a stack member.

5. After adding members, connect the stacking modules and stacking cables to all switches and power on the members in a sequence as mentioned in the Recommended deployment workflow.

If the stack members are connected and powered on before adding to a stack, then the members might not join the stack.

Recommended deployment workflow

The following procedure provides the recommended workflow for deploying three-member VSF stack (Commander, Standby, and a Member switch).

1. Connect a staging port on the first switch in the VSF stack to a DHCPDynamic Host Configuration Protocol. A network protocol that enables a server to automatically assign an IP address to an IP-enabled device from a defined range of numbers configured for a given network.  enabled network or a device that has access to the internet. After rebooting and initialization, the switch assumes its role as commander and the LEDLight Emitting Diode. LED is a semiconductor light source that emits light when an electric current passes through it. on the VSF stack ports of the switch will turn amber.

2. Connect a VSF port of the next switch to the VSF port of the commander switch. During initialization, the switch will act as standby and the LED on the VSF port will turn amber.

3. Connect a VSF port of the next switch to the VSF port of the standby switch. During initialization, the new switch acts as a member and the LED on the VSF port of the switch will turn amber.

4. Connect the VSF port of the commander switch to the VSF port of the member to complete the loop.

Provisioning one member BPS Switch Stack in Aruba Central

A one member BPS switch stack can be added to Central and managed through the UI group. To provision one member BPS stack, follow these steps:

1. Connect a one member BPS stack to Central. The one member stack is added to unprovisioned group.

2. Move the one member switch stack from unprovisioned group to a UI group. The switch stacking information is displayed in the Stacks configuration page.

3. Add other members to the stack when the commander is active. For more information, see the section Adding a stack member.

Creating a switch stack

To create a switch stack, complete the following steps:

1. In the Network Operations app, select one of the following options:

To select a switch group in the filter:

a. Set the filter to a group containing at least one switch.

The dashboard context for the group is displayed.

b. Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.

c. Click the Config icon to view the switch configuration dashboard.

To select a switch in the filter:

a. Set the filter to Global or a group containing at least one switch.

b. Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.

A list of switches is displayed in the List view.

c. Click a switch under Device Name.

The dashboard context for the switch is displayed.

d. Under Manage, click Device.

The tabs to configure the switch is displayed.

2. Click Stacks. The Stacks page is displayed.

The Stacks table displays the following information:

Table 1: Stacks table

Name	Description	Value
Name	The name of the switch stack.	A string
Type	The type of switch stacking.	BPS or VFS
Stack ID	The ID of the switch stack. The stack ID is auto-generated and cannot be changed in the settings.	Auto-generated String
Members	The number of members on the switch stack.	Integer
MAC Address	The MACMedia Access Control. A MAC address is a unique identifier assigned to network interfaces for communications on a network. address of the switch stack.	Alphanumeric MAC address
Topology	The type of switch stack topology.	Chain, Ring, or unknown
Status	The status of the stack formation.	Pending, In-progress, Active, or Failed
VSF Port Speed	The port speed in the case of VSF stacking. This column is hidden by default. You must select the column from the columns list.	1G or 10G

3. In the Stacks table, click + to add a stack.

The Create New Stack window is displayed.

4. Select a commander switch from the Select Commander Switch drop-down list. The model number and serial number of switches are displayed in the drop-down list.

The commander switch must be installed with the minimum supported firmware version of 16.06 or later.

If the selected switch supports VSF Stacking, configure the following parameters:

Link 1 Name and Port(s)—The name of the link 1 and its corresponding ports.

Link 2 Name and Port(s)— The name of the link 2 and its corresponding ports.

Domain ID—The domain ID of the switch stack.

Port Speed—The VSF port speed from the drop-down.

If the selected switch supports BPS stacking, insert the stacking module in switch and continue to step 7.

5. Click Save & Reboot Stack. When the stack reboots, the status of the stack formation is displayed in the Stacks table. Do not make any changes to the stack until the status changes from In Progress to Active or Failed. If stack creation fails due to some issues, delete the stack entry and retry.

Editing a Stack

To edit a stack, select the stack row you want to edit and click the edit icon.

You can edit a stack only when its status is Active.

Removing a stack

To remove a stack, select the stack row that you want to remove and click the delete icon.

You can remove a stack only when its status is Failed.

Adding a stack member

Stacking allows you to add switches to the stack only when the commander is active.

To add a switch to stack as a new member, complete the following steps:

1. In the Network Operations app, select one of the following options:

To select a switch group in the filter:

a. Set the filter to a group containing at least one switch.

The dashboard context for the group is displayed.

b. Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.

c. Click the Config icon to view the switch configuration dashboard.

To select a switch in the filter:

a. Set the filter to Global or a group containing at least one switch.

b. Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.

A list of switches is displayed in the List view.

c. Click a switch under Device Name.

The dashboard context for the switch is displayed.

d. Under Manage, click Device.

The tabs to configure the switch is displayed.

2. Click Stacks. The Stacks page is displayed.

3. In the Stacks table, select the stack row for which you want to add a member. The Members table displays the list of members for that particular stack. The Members table displays the following information:

Table 2: Members table

Name	Description	Value
Name	The name of the switch stack member.	A string
MAC Address	The MAC address of the stack member.	Alphanumeric MAC address
Model	The hardware model of the switch.	A String
Priority	The priority level of the stack member.	1 to 255
Role	The role of a stack member.	Commander, member, or standby
Status	The status of the switch stack member.	Active, Inactive, or Not Joined
Link1 | Port	The name of the link and its corresponding port of the stack member.	A String
Link2 | Port

4. In the Members table, click + to add a stack member.

The Add Stack Member For <stack name> window is displayed. The following information is auto-generated:

Member ID—Identification number of the member.

Priority—Priority of the member.

5. Select the member using one of the following options:

Same as Commander—Use this option when your commander and member have the same model number.

Select Model —Use this option when your commander and member have different model numbers. Select the switch model from the model drop-down list.

6. If the selected switch supports VSF Stacking, configure the following parameters:

Link1 Name and Port(s)—Specify the name of the link 1 and its corresponding port.

Link2 Name and Port(s)—Specify the name of the link 2 and its corresponding port.

7. To add another stack member, click Save & Add Another.

A message is displayed above the Members table when the maximum number of switches in a stack has been added.

8. Click Save. After the stack members appear in Members table, connect the stacking modules and stacking cables to all switches and power on the switches.

Editing a stack member

To edit a stack member, select the member row you want to edit and click the edit icon.

Removing a stack member

To delete a stack member, select the member row that you want to delete and click the delete icon.

After removing a member, disconnect the switch from the stack. To disconnect the switch from the stack, do one of the followings:

Turn off the power from the switch.

Restart the switch using switch reset button.

You can remove only the stack member that has the lowest priority. For example, if there are three stack members with priority 254, 253 and 252 respectively and if you want to remove a stack member with priority 253, then first you need to remove the member with priority 252. Priority cannot be assigned manually. Commander switch is always assigned with priority 255. The priority of other subsequent members is decremented by 1.