Connecting 2x 2724 using SFP ports

Thank Cuong for the reply. I need to get back to you regarding the SFP's, I just wanted to know whether it was possible to link the two switches with the SFP ports. We're almost sure it shouldn't be a problem, so we called Dell locally and the consultant said it was not possible to cascade the switches in that manner, we needed some verification.

Thanks again

Regards

Shawn

Hi

We got it up and running, we enabled the management and sorted out a network loop.

Thanks

Shawn

Hi

Oh, also, there are no copper connections in port 23 and 24 on both switches.

Regards

Shawn

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by stacking.  The 27xx does not support stacking in the sense of stacking feature supported in 33xx or 34xx.  When we refer to stacking in switching technology we are talking about stacking two switches so that the ports on the switch can be managed as if they were from the same switch.  This requires coordination between the two switches so that you can do things such as creating a LAG (link aggregation group) which contain ports from both switches.

If you are referring to this type of stacking then the 27xx does not support this feature.  If this is not what you mean please explain your definition of the term stacking.

Cuong.

Hi,

On my test switches I connected two 2724 using the SFP port (port 24 only - and no copper in either port 23 or 24).  I left this up overnight without any error.

Can you provide me more info please?  Such as any configuration you have for the ports on the switches (did you setup auto-negotiation on the port for example).  When you say that the switches lose connection what do you mean exactly?  Is it:

• You lost link on the SFP ports?
• You could not send packet through the SFP ports - meaning that ethernet packets no longer pass through the switches but link remain up?
• You could not communicate with the management web interface on the switches (assuming you did configure the two switches with different management IP address so that there is no overlap)?

Cuong.

Hi Cuong

Thank you very much for trying to assist us here. This all started when we logged a call with Dell in SA and got told by the consultant that it was not possible to link the two switches in this manner, he obviously didn't want to send anyone out to check the switches. Since then, we've escalated this up to that consultants manager and they've now agreed to come out to the site to check things out.

But to answer your questions,

1. Yes, the SFP links stay up

2. When we experience problems, we do a ping -a and we get inconsistent pings.

3. The management interfaces are configured with different management IP's

For now, we'll get the local Dell support to troubleshoot the problem, thanks again for your assistence.

Shawn

I know this is a very old thread - hopefully is still monitored.

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I would like to know what is the procedure (hardware, software setup, cables, etc.) required in order to link two 2724 PowerConnect switches using one SFP port on each unit and optimally configuring the switches for a small business local network.

I am not a network engineer, no one in our small business is, but we are capable of following clear and step by step instructions. We want to do this under the assumption that it will be better this way compared to simply connecting e.g. port 24 on both units with Cat5e/6 copper wire.

We have a total of ~30 (mixed 1,000 / 100 Mbps and wired / wireless) clients, no VLANS, no LAGs, nothing fancy. Just the two 2724s in managed mode, each with a static IPs and with clients split 60/40 between the two. The switch with the 40% capacity is the one with the 3 servers present in the LAN. We have one Domain Controller (Microsoft Active Directory) one Terminal Server and one MS SQL Database server. All dell, all Win 2003 server x32 (the SQL is x64). So far,  the network load is minimal, the system is only used for internet access, printing, and some (local and online) training but in anticipation for heavier usage I was wondering what needs to be done. Obviously, one 48-port switch would have been better but we inherited this setup and if possible we'd like to make it work with the existing hardware.

So, I think the way we chose to connect the two 2724s together is the first step. Can you please help us, we are looking for the most optimal setup.

Thank you!

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Xwris ONOMA.