Contents
1 Feature Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 iStack Overview ............................................................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Concepts ....................................................................................................................................................................... 2
1.3 iStack Advantages ......................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.3.1 Simplified Configuration and Management ............................................................................................................... 3
1.3.2 1:1 Redundancy of Control Planes ............................................................................................................................ 3
1.3.3 Uplink and Downlink Redundancy ............................................................................................................................ 5
1.3.4 Redundancy of Stack Links and Stack Ports .............................................................................................................. 7
1.3.5 Long-Distance Stacking ............................................................................................................................................. 7
1.3.6 Simplified Networking .............................................................................................................................................. 8
2 Technology Description ............................................................................................................. 10
2.1 Stack Physical Connection .......................................................................................................................................... 10
2.2 Stack Packets .............................................................................................................................................................. 11
2.2.1 Stack Packet Header ................................................................................................................................................ 11
2.2.2 Stack Packet Types .................................................................................................................................................. 12
2.3 Stack State Machine .................................................................................................................................................... 13
2.4 Stack Setup ................................................................................................................................................................. 14
2.5 Member Switch Addition ............................................................................................................................................ 15
2.6 Member Switch Removal ........................................................................................................................................... 17
2.7 Stack Merge ................................................................................................................................................................ 20
2.8 Stack Split ................................................................................................................................................................... 21
2.8.1 The Original Master and Standby Switches Are in the Same Stack After the Original Stack Splits ........................ 21
2.8.2 The Original Master and Standby Switches Are in Different Stacks After the Original Stack Splits ...................... 23
2.9 Address Conflict Detection After a Stack Split ........................................................................................................... 24
2.9.1 MAD Modes ............................................................................................................................................................ 24
2.9.2 MAD Collision Handling......................................................................................................................................... 27
2.9.3 MAD Fault Recovery............................................................................................................................................... 27
2.10 Automatic Software Upgrade of Member Switches.................................................................................................. 28
2.11 Smooth Upgrade ....................................................................................................................................................... 28
2.12 iStack Packet Forwarding ......................................................................................................................................... 30
2.12.1 Unicast Packet Forwarding .................................................................................................................................... 30
2.12.2 Unknown Unicast and Broadcast Packet Forwarding ............................................................................................ 31