Accton Technology ES4548D, ES4524D, 24/48-Port manual Switch Clustering, Cluster Configuration

Chapter 30: 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 61-4)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. (Default: Enabled)

•Cluster Commander – Enables or disables the switch as a cluster Commander. (Default: Disabled)

•Role – Indicates the current role of the switch in the cluster; either Commander, Member, or Candidate.

•Cluster IP Pool – An “internal” IP address pool that is used to assign IP addresses to Member switches in the cluster. Internal cluster IP addresses are in the form 10.x.x.member-ID. Only the base IP address of the pool needs to be set since Member IDs can only be between 1 and 36. Note that you cannot change the cluster IP pool when the switch is currently in Commander mode. Commander mode must first be disabled. (Default: 10.254.254.1)

•Number of Members – The current number of Member switches in the cluster.

•Number of Candidates – The current number of Candidate switches discovered in the network that are available to become Members.

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