6-15
Catalyst 3560 Switch Software Configuration Guide
OL-8553-06
Chapter 6 Clustering Switches
Using the CLI to Manage Switch Clusters
Using the CLI to Manage Switch Clusters
You can configure cluster member switches from the CLI by first logging into the cluster command
switch. Enter the rcommand user EXEC command and the cluster member switch number to start a
Telnet session (through a console or Telnet connection) and to access the cluster member switch CLI.
The command mode changes, and the Cisco IOS commands operate as usual. Enter the exit privileged
EXEC command on the cluster member switch to return to the command-switch CLI.
This example shows how to log into member-switch 3 from the command-switch CLI:
switch# rcommand 3
If you do not know the member-switch number, enter the show cluster members privileged EXEC
command on the cluster command switch. For more information about the rcommand command and all
other cluster commands, refer to the switch command reference.
The Telnet session accesses the member-switch CLI at the same privilege level as on the cluster
command switch. The Cisco IOS commands then operate as usual. For instructions on configuring the
switch for a Telnet session, see the “Disabling Password Recovery” section on page 9-5.

Catalyst 1900 and Catalyst 2820 CLI Considerations

If your switch cluster has Catalyst 1900 and Catalyst 2820 switches running standard edition software,
the Telnet session accesses the management console (a menu-driven interface) if the cluster command
switch is at privilege level 15. If the cluster command switch is at privilege level 1 to 14, you are
prompted for the password to access the menu console.
Command-switch privilege levels map to the Catalyst 1900 and Catalyst 2820 cluster member switches
running standard and Enterprise Edition Software as follows:
• If the command-switch privilege level is 1 to 14, the cluster member switch is accessed at privilege
level 1.
• If the command-switch privilege level is 15, the cluster member switch is accessed at privilege level
15.
Note The Catalyst 1900 and Catalyst 2820 CLI is available only on switches running Enterprise
Edition Software.
For more information about the Catalyst 1900 and Catalyst 2820 switches, refer to the installation and
configuration guides for those switches.
Using SNMP to Manage Switch Clusters
When you first power on the switch, SNMP is enabled if you enter the IP information by using the setup
program and accept its proposed configuration. If you did not use the setup program to enter the IP
information and SNMP was not enabled, you can enable it as described in the “Configuring SNMP”
section on page 31-6. On Catalyst 1900 and Catalyst 2820 switches, SNMP is enabled by default.
When you create a cluster, the cluster command switch manages the exchange of messages between
cluster member switches and an SNMP application. The cluster software on the cluster command switch
appends the cluster member switch number (@esN, where N is the switch number) to the first configured
read-write and read-only community strings on the cluster command switch and propagates them to the