Managing an AOS-CX VSF Stack

A switch stack is a set of switches that are interconnected through stacking ports. By default, the first member in a stack becomes conductor. You must configure the standby conductor manually and there is no default standby conductor. All the switches in the stack other than the conductor and standby conductor become members.

The following table lists the AOS-CX switches that support stacking.

Table 1: AOS-CX Switch Stacking Support

Switch Platform

Maximum Number

of Stack Members

Minimum

Supported

Version

Recommended Version

Supported Stack Type

Supported Configuration Group Type for Stacking (UI / Template)

AOS-CX 6200 Switch Series

8

10.05.0060

10.07.0030

VSF

UI and Template

AOS-CX 6300 Switch Series

10

10.05.0060

10.07.0030

VSF

UI and Template

AOS-CX 6300 Switch Series [JL762A]

Back 2 Front Power Supply SKUStock Keeping Unit. SKU refers to the product and service identification code for the products in the inventory. only

10

10.06.0001

10.07.0030

VSF

UI and Template

For more information on topology and configuration of switch stacks, see the AOS-CX Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) Guide for the respective switch series.

Supported Switch Stacking Functions

The following table lists the functions supported in Aruba Central (on-premises), using UI and template configurations, based on the switch firmware versions.

Table 2: Supported Stacking Functions

Firmware Versions

Functions Supported in Aruba Central

10.06 and earlier
  • Onboarding pre-configured AOS-CX stack
  • Pushing switch configuration from Aruba Central using UI options, MultiEdit, or templates
  • Rebooting a conductor

    NOTE: This will reboot the entire stack.

10.07 and later

  • Onboarding pre-configured AOS-CX stack
  • Pushing switch configuration from Aruba Central using UI options, MultiEdit, or templates
  • Creating a stack
  • Adding a stack member
  • Removing a stack member
  • Modifying VSF links
  • Changing the secondary member
  • Rebooting a conductor

    NOTE: This will reboot the entire stack.

The other stacking related configurations such as replacing a conductor, replacing a standby conductor, and replacing a stack member must be performed offline, that is, outside Aruba Central. The changes are reflected in Aruba Central.

For information on these configurations, see the AOS-CX Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) Guide for the respective switch series and the ArubaOS-CX VSF Best Practices document.

General Recommendations

The following are the general recommendations to note when configuring an AOS-CX switch stack:

  • To maximize available VSF link bandwidth, use the following Direct Attach Copper (DAC) cables for VSF links:
    • AOS-CX 6300 Switch Series: 50G
    • AOS-CX 6200 Switch Series: 10G
  • All VSF link ports in a stack must operate at the same speed (10G, 25G, or 50G).
  • For maximum stack resiliency, the conductor and secondary conductor should be the same switch models with redundant power supplies connected to different circuits. This is required to minimize the probability that a single-source power failure will disable both the stack conductor and standby.
  • A secondary member must always be defined to assume the VSF standby role.
  • The out-of-band management (OOBM) ports on the conductor and secondary conductor must be connected to each other, either directly or through a dedicated management network. This is required to utilize the VSF split detection, which must always be enabled.

Monitoring AOS-CX Switch Stacks

See Monitoring Switches and Switch Stacks.

Viewing AOS-CX Switch Stacks in Site Topology

See Monitoring Sites in the Topology Tab.

This section contains the following topics: