C
HAPTER
20
| System Management Commands
Switch Clustering
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SWITCH CLUSTERING
Switch Clustering is a method of grouping switches together to enable
centralized management through a single unit. Switches that support
clustering can be grouped together regardless of physical location or switch
type, as long as they are connected to the same local network.
Using Switch Clustering
◆ A switch cluster has a primary unit called the “Commander” which is
used to manage all other “Member” switches in the cluster. The
management station can use either Telnet or the web interface to
communicate directly with the Commander through its IP address, and
then use the Commander to manage the Member switches through the
cluster’s “internal” IP addresses.
◆ Clustered switches must be in the same Ethernet broadcast domain. In
other words, clustering only functions for switches which can pass
information between the Commander and potential Candidates or
active Members through VLAN 4093.
◆ Once a switch has been configured to be a cluster Commander, it
automatically discovers other cluster-enabled switches in the network.
These “Candidate” switches only become cluster Members when
manually selected by the administrator through the management
station.
N
OTE
:
Cluster Member switches can be managed either through a Telnet
connection to the Commander, or through a web management connection
to the Commander. When using a console connection, from the
Commander CLI prompt, use the rcommand to connect to the Member
switch.
Table 62: Switch Cluster Commands
Command Function Mode
cluster Configures clustering on the switch GC
cluster commander Configures the switch as a cluster Commander GC
cluster ip-pool Sets the cluster IP address pool for Members GC
cluster member Sets Candidate switches as cluster members GC
rcommand Provides configuration access to Member switches GC
show cluster Displays the switch clustering status PE
show cluster members Displays current cluster Members PE
show cluster candidates Displays current cluster Candidates in the network PE