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Configuring System Information
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ProSafe M5300 Switch
Stack Master Election
All stack members are eligible stack masters. If the stack master becomes unavailable, the
remaining stack members participate in electing a new stack master from among themselves.
The following factors determine which switch is elected the stack master:
• The switch that is master always has priority to retain the role of master
• Assigned priority
• MAC address
When the stack is powered up and completes the boot process or the original stack master
becomes unavailable, the stack master is determined through an election process.
The rules for stack master Election are as follows:
• If a unit had previously been elected stack master, then it will remain the stack master and
other units will simply be stack members.
• If no units were stack masters, or more than one unit was a stack master, then the unit
with the highest management preference is elected stack master. The management
preference can be assigned by the administrator. However, if all units have the same
management preference, then the unit with the highest MAC address is assigned as the
stack master.
Factory Defaults Reset Behavior
If the stack master is reset to the factory default settings (see Factory Default on page 281),
the stack master applies the default settings to all the stack members and resets the stack,
including all participating stack members. When the stack boots, the stack master election
process begins.
A switch can be described in terms of three semi-independent functions called the forwarding
plane, the control plane, and the management plane. The forwarding plane forwards data
packets. The forwarding plane is implemented in hardware. The control plane is the set of
protocols that determine how the forwarding plane should forward packets, deciding which
data packets are allowed to be forwarded and where they should go. Application software on
the management unit acts as the control plane. The management plane is application
software running on the management unit that provides interfaces allowing a network
administrator to configure and monitor the device.