Filter
Top Products
C
ONFIGURING
THE
S
WITCH
3-242
Switch Clustering
Switch Clustering is a method of grouping switches together to enable
centralized management through a single unit. Switches that support
clustering can be grouped together regardless of physical location or
switch type, as long as they are connected to the same local network.
A switch cluster has a “Commander” unit that is used to manage all other
“Member” switches in the cluster. The management station uses Telnet to
communicate directly with the Commander throught its IP address, and
the Commander manages Member switches using cluster “internal” IP
addresses. There can be up to 36 Member switches in one cluster. Cluster
switches are limited to within a single IP subnet.
Once a switch has been configured to be a cluster Commander, it
automatically discovers other cluster-enabled switches in the network.
These “Candidate” switches only become cluster Members when manually
selected by the administrator through the management station.
Note: Cluster Member switches can be managed through only using a
Telnet connection to the Commander. From the Commander CLI
prompt, use the “rcommand” command (see page 4-282) to
connect to the Member switch.
Cluster Configuration
To create a switch cluster, first be sure that clustering is enabled on the
switch (the default is enabled), then set the switch as a Cluster
Commander. Set a Cluster IP Pool that does not conflict with the network
IP subnet. Cluster IP addresses are assigned to switches when they become
Members and are used for communication between Member switches and
the Commander.
Command Attributes
• Cluster Status – Enables or disables clustering on the switch.