Creating an AOS-CX VSF Stack Using UI

In Classic Central, you can create a VSF Virtual Switching Framework. VSF allows network administrators to stack multiple individual switches into a single logical device using standard Ethernet links. stack by selecting and configuring the conductor switch through the UI.

Before creating a stack, you must physically connect the members of the stack in the chain or ring topology on the ports reserved for auto-stacking. For auto-stacking to work, the members should be connected in the direction of the higher denomination port to the lower denomination port.

The following ports are reserved for auto-stacking:

• 12-port switch models— Ports 13 and 14
• 24-port switch models— Ports 25 and 26
• 48-port switch models— Ports 49 and 50

Auto-stacking peer discovery is a uni-directional process. It starts with the VSF link containing the higher denomination VSF port. Member discovery starts on the higher-numbered port for each member in line. For a three-member stack in the ring topology, use the following connection example for auto-stacking to work:

• Connect port 50 of member 1 to port 49 of member 2
• Connect port 50 of member 2 to port 25 of member 3
• Connect port 26 of member 3 to port 49 of member 1

For more information on auto-stacking configuration, refer to the AOS-CX Virtual Switching Framework (VSF) Guide.

To create an AOS-CX VSF stack, complete the following steps:

1. In the WebUI, set the filter to a group containing at least one switch.
2.  Under Manage, click Devices > Switches.
3. Click the AOS-CX or Config icon to view the switch configuration dashboard.
4. Click System > Stacking.

   The VSF Stacking page is displayed with a list of stacks.

5. In the VSF Stacking table, click + to create a stack.

   The Create VSF Stack page is displayed.

6. Configure the following parameters:

   Table 1: Create VSF Stack

   Parameters	Description	Value
   Switch Series	The switch platform for the VSF stack.	6200 or 6300
   Conductor	The conductor switch in a stack.	From the drop-down list, select the switch that should act as the conductor.
   Link 1 Port(s)	One or more VSF capable port numbers for the first VSF link separated by commas. You can specify a maximum of four ports as VSF links.	Following are the default port values: 24-port switch models—Port 25 48-port switch models—Port 49
   Link 2 Port(s)	One or more VSF capable port numbers for the second VSF link separated by commas. You can specify a maximum of four ports as VSF links.	Following are the default port values: 24-port switch models—Port 26 48-port switch models—Port 50
   Split Mode detect	Indicates whether VSF split detection mode is enabled.  If this is enabled, during a split, the fragment that has the conductor becomes the active fragment and keeps its front plane (non-VSF) interfaces up and running. The other fragment becomes inactive and all non-VSF interfaces on the inactive fragment are brought down to avoid network disruption. NOTE: It is recommended to enable this field during the stack creation. Also, ensure that the conductor and standby conductor are connected to the management interface.	Select the check box to enable or disable.

7. Click Save.

   The new stack is displayed in the Stacking table with the conductor switch. The stack creation may take up to 10 minutes. You can use the Configuration Audit page to verify the status of a stack formation. For more information, see Configuring Audit Properties.

   To monitor switch stacks and troubleshoot any stack-related errors, select the conductor switch of the stack from the Devices list and navigate to the LAN > Ports tab. For more information, see Monitoring AOS-CX Switch Stacks.

Editing the Conductor

To edit the conductor, point to the row for the conductor, and click the edit icon.

You can only edit the following parameters:

• Split Mode detect

  This parameter is available only for the conductor.

• Link 1 Port(s) and Link 2 Port(s)

  For more information on changing the VSF links, see Modifying VSF Links Using the WebUI.

Removing a Stack

To remove a stack, point to the stack you want to remove and click the delete icon. In the VSF Stacking page, you can delete a stack only in the following scenarios:

• If there is only one member in a stack.
• If all other stack members except conductor are down.

To remove a stack with more than one member, it is recommended to remove individual members, one at a time, starting from the last member in the stack. For more information, see Removing a Stack Member Using UI.