Onboarding Conductor and Members for VSF Stacking

The following is a high-level process flow for configuring VSF 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 conductor. 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 conductor. For more information, see the section Creating an AOS-Switch Stack.
  4. Add other members to the stack when the status of the conductor switch is active. For more information, see Adding a Stack Member.
  5. After adding members, connect the EthernetEthernet is a network protocol for data transmission over LAN. cables between the switches to form the desired topology.
  6. Power on the switches one at a time. The second switch that is powered on will be elected as standby. The subsequent switches that get powered on will be designated as the members of the stack.

For more information on deploying a VSF stack, see Onboarding Conductor and Members for VSF Stacking section.

For more information on topology and configuration of switch stacks, see the ArubaOS-Switch Installation and Getting Started Guide and ArubaOS-Switch Advanced Traffic Management Guide for the respective switch series.

If the stack members are connected and powered on before adding to a stack, then the members might not join the stack and status of the stack members are displayed as Inactive in the UI. In this scenario, stack cannot be managed through the UI.

Recommended Deployment Workflow

The following procedure provides the recommended workflow for deploying three-member VSF stack (Conductor, 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 conductor 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 conductor 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 conductor switch to the VSF port of the member to complete the loop.

If the stack members are connected and powered on before adding to a stack, then the members might not join the stack in Aruba Central (on-premises). In such scenarios, the status of the stack members is displayed as Inactive in the UI. Also, the stack cannot be managed using UI groups in Aruba Central (on-premises).