Qlogic 5800V Series

2–Planning
Multiple Chassis Fabrics
2-8 59265-02 B
Stacking
You can connect up to six QLogic 5800V Series switches through the XPAK ports,
thus preserving the SFP ports for devices. This is called stacking. The following
2-, 3-, 4-, 5-, and 6-switch stacking configurations are recommended for best
performance and redundancy. Each XPAK port contributes 1.275GB of bandwidth
between chassis in each direction, which is equivalent to three SFP connections
operating at 4Gbps. Upgrading the XPAK ports to 20Gbps is equivalent to 3 SFP
connections operating at 8Gbps. Figure 2-1 shows a two-switch stack of model
5800V Series switches using two 3-inch XPAK switch stacking cables. Forty SFP
ports are available for devices.
Figure 2-1. Two-Switch Stack
Figure 2-2 shows a three-switch stack of QLogic 5800V Series switches using two
3-inch and one 9-inch XPAK switch stacking cables. Sixty SFP ports are available
for devices.
Figure 2-2. Three-Switch Stack