Master Redundancy on Stacked Switches

A

In a stacked switch environment, multiple physical switches are connected together to operate as a single logical switch. The stack can have a master switch and one or more subordinate switches.

In terms of redundancy, the master switch role is critical because it controls the management and configuration of the stack. If the master switch fails, the subordinate switches won't be able to function properly. Therefore, it's important to provide redundancy for the master switch.

Cisco provides several options for master switch redundancy in a stacked switch environment, including the following:

A. 1:N: In this configuration, one of the switches in the stack is designated as the master switch, while the remaining switches are designated as subordinate switches. A backup master switch is also configured. If the primary master switch fails, the backup master switch takes over the role of the master switch. This configuration is known as 1:N because there is only one active master switch at any given time, but there can be multiple backup master switches.

B. N:1: In this configuration, all of the switches in the stack are configured as potential master switches. If the current master switch fails, another switch in the stack takes over as the master switch. This configuration is known as N:1 because there are multiple potential master switches, but only one active master switch at any given time.

C. 1:1: In this configuration, two switches are configured as the active and standby master switches. The active master switch is the primary master switch, while the standby master switch is ready to take over if the active master switch fails. This configuration is known as 1:1 because there is only one active master switch at any given time, and only one standby master switch.

D. 1+N: In this configuration, there is one active master switch, and multiple backup master switches. The active master switch controls the stack, but if it fails, one of the backup master switches takes over as the master switch. This configuration is known as 1+N because there is only one active master switch at any given time, but there can be multiple backup master switches.

Overall, the choice of redundancy configuration depends on the requirements and constraints of the network environment. Each configuration has its advantages and disadvantages, so it's important to evaluate the trade-offs and choose the best option for the specific scenario.