Dell Powerconnect 5524's can be stacked through HDMI and the newer N2024 models can be stacked through dell's proprietary stacking ports. Is there a way to connect these two stacks? Can you connect them through SFP? Can you connect them through a LAG? Whats the best process here?
The 55xx and the N2xxx cannot be stacked together, other than that you can treat both stacks similar to as if they are just one single switch. Stacking them basically makes them a single switch, so you would just connect them in any of the same ways you would connect a single 55xx with a single N2xxx. If using a LAG however, it is best practice to split cable connections across multiple stack members. So for example if you have a stack with three members and you have a LAG using two cables, use one port from two members so that your LAG spans at least two of the members. Doing this for both stacks creates a more resilient network, so if one member goes down the link will stay up. In other words, if you use two ports on the same stack member and that member goes down, then you've lost the connection, so it's best to split the LAG onto multiple stack members.
Stacking is probably the most common way to implement a single LAG on multiple switches, and is possible because it makes all members a single logical switch. Similarly, VLT, vPC, VSS or MLAG could be implemented, when supported on your switches. These features however are limited to two member switches, whereas a stack can often have up to eight or more members. Your N2xxx supports an MLAG configuration, but will be limited to two members. These types of configurations are usually used going up/down stream in a spine-leaf architecture.
Thanks Barrett! I would assume the only way you could use a LAG that stems from multiple switches is if those switches are stacked together - otherwise how would you configure something like this? Is that correct?
vt1012
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Posted December 10th, 2015 07:00
The 55xx and the N2xxx cannot be stacked together, other than that you can treat both stacks similar to as if they are just one single switch. Stacking them basically makes them a single switch, so you would just connect them in any of the same ways you would connect a single 55xx with a single N2xxx. If using a LAG however, it is best practice to split cable connections across multiple stack members. So for example if you have a stack with three members and you have a LAG using two cables, use one port from two members so that your LAG spans at least two of the members. Doing this for both stacks creates a more resilient network, so if one member goes down the link will stay up. In other words, if you use two ports on the same stack member and that member goes down, then you've lost the connection, so it's best to split the LAG onto multiple stack members.
Hope this helps.
-B