Cisco Systems 3550 Clustering Switches

CHAPTER
5-1
Catalyst 3550 Multilayer Switch Software Configuration Guide
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5
Clustering Switches
This chapter provides these topics to help you get started with switch clustering:
•Understanding Switch Clusters, page 5-2
•Planning a Switch Cluster, page 5-4
•Creating a Switch Cluster, page 5-18
•Using the CLI to Manage Switch Clusters, page 5-25
•Using SNMP to Manage Switch Clusters, page 5-26
Configuring switch clusters is more easily done from the Cluster M a nagement Suite (CMS) web-based
interface than through the command-line interface (CLI). Therefore, information in this chapter focu ses
on using CMS to create a cluster. See Chapter3, “Getting Started with CMS,” for additional information
about switch clusters and the clustering options. For complete procedures on using CMS to conf igure
switch clusters, refer to the online help.
For the CLI cluster commands, refer to the switch command reference.
Refer to the release notes for the list of Catalyst switches eligible for switch clustering, including which
ones can be command switches and which ones can only be member switches, and for the required
software versions and browser and Java plug-in configurations.
Note This chapter focuses on Catalyst 3550 switch clusters. It also includes guidelines and limitations for
clusters mixed with other cluster-capable Catalyst switches, but it does not provide complete
descriptions of the cluster features for these other switches. For complete cluster informa tion for a
specific Catalyst platform, refer to the software configuration guide for that swi tch.