Cisco Systems 3750E manual Clustering Switches, Understanding Switch Clusters

C H A P T E R 6

Clustering Switches

This chapter provides the concepts and procedures to create and manage Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E switch clusters. Unless otherwise noted, the term switch refers to a standalone switch and to a switch stack.

You can create and manage switch clusters by using Cisco Network Assistant (hereafter known as Network Assistant), the command-line interface (CLI), or SNMP. For complete procedures, see the online help. For the CLI cluster commands, see the switch command reference.

Note Network Assistant supports switch clusters, but we recommend that you instead group switches into communities. Network Assistant has a Cluster Conversion Wizard to help you convert a cluster to a community. For more information about Network Assistant, including introductory information on managing switch clusters and converting a switch cluster to a community, see Getting Started with Cisco Network Assistant, available on Cisco.com.

This chapter focuses on Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E 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 information for a specific Catalyst platform, see the software configuration guide for that switch.

This chapter consists of these sections:

•Understanding Switch Clusters, page 6-1

•Planning a Switch Cluster, page 6-4

•Using the CLI to Manage Switch Clusters, page 6-18

•Using SNMP to Manage Switch Clusters, page 6-19

Note We do not recommend using the ip http access-classglobal configuration command to limit access to specific hosts or networks. Access should be controlled through the cluster command switch or by applying access control lists (ACLs) on interfaces that are configured with IP address. For more information on ACLs, see Chapter 34, “Configuring Network Security with ACLs.”

Understanding Switch Clusters

A switch cluster is a set of up to 16 connected, cluster-capable Catalyst switches that are managed as a single entity. The switches in the cluster use the switch clustering technology so that you can configure and troubleshoot a group of different Catalyst desktop switch platforms through a single IP address.

Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Switch Software Configuration Guide

OL-9775-02 6-1