602 CHAPTER 32: CLUSTERING
■Topology collection: Clustering implements NTDP (Neighbor Topology Discovery
Protocol) to collect information on device connections and candidate devices
within a specified hop range.
■Member recognition: Members in the cluster can be located, thus the
management device can recognize them and deliver configuration and
management commands.
■Member management: Devices can be added into or removed from a cluster on
the management device. Management device authentication and handshake
interval can also be configured on the management device.
Related configurations are described in the following sections.
Switch Roles Switches in a cluster are assigned with different roles according to their own
functions. You can specify or change the role for a switch.
A switch in a cluster can be the management device, a member device or a candidate
device.
Figure 175 shows the role changing rule.
Table655 Devices in a cluster
Role Configurations Functions
Management
device
Is configured with a
public IP address.
Receives management
commands that the user
sends through the public
network for processing.
Provides management interfaces for all
switches in the cluster.
Manages member devices through command
redirection.
Forwards commands to be executed on
member devices to the proper member for
processing.
Supports neighbor discovery, topology
collection, cluster management, cluster state
maintenance and proxies.
Member device Often is not configured
with public IP address.
Acts as cluster members
Supports neighbor discovery, being managed
by the management device, running commands
from proxies and failure/log report.
Candidate
device
Often not configured with
a public IP address.
Candidate devices are switches that are not
cluster members and can be added into a cluster.