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Chapter 6 Clustering Switches
Creating a Switch Cluster
If you did not enable a command switch during initial switch setup, launch Device Manager from a
command-capable switch, and select Cluster > Create Cluster. Enter a cluster number (the default is 0),
and use up to 31 characters to name the cluster (Figure 6-10). Instead of using CMS to enable a
command switch, you can use the cluster enable global configuration command.
Figure 6-10 Create Cluster Window
Adding Member Switches
As explained in the “Automatic Discovery of Cluster Candidates and Members” section on page 6-5, the
command switch automatically discovers candidate switches. When you add new cluster-capable
switches to the network, the command switch discovers them and adds them to a list of candidate
switches. To display an updated cluster candidates list from the Add to Cluster window (Figure 6-11),
either relaunch CMS and redisplay this window, or follow these steps:
1. Close the Add to Cluster window.
2. Select View > Refresh.
3. Select Cluster > Add to Cluster to redisplay the Add to Cluster window.
From CMS, there are two ways to add switches to a cluster:
• Select Cluster > Add to Cluster, select a candidate switch from the list, click Add, and click OK.
To add more than one candidate switch, press Ctrl, and make your choices, or press Shift, and
choose the first and last switch in a range.
• Display the Topology view, right-click a candidate-switch icon, and select Add to Cluster
(Figure 6-12). In the Topology view, candidate switches are cyan, and member switches are green.
To add more than one candidate switch, press Ctrl, and left-click the candidates that you want to
add.
Instead of using CMS to add members to the cluster, you can use the cluster member global
configuration command from the command switch. Use the password option in this command if the
candidate switch has a password.
You can select 1 or more switches as long as the total number of switches in the cluster does not
exceed 16 (this includes the command switch). When a cluster has 16 members, the Add to Cluster
option is not available for that cluster. In this case, you must remove a member switch before adding a
new one.
If a password has been configured on a candidate switch, you are prompted to enter it before it can be
added it to the cluster. If the candidate switch does not have a password, any entry is ignored.
If multiple candidates switches have the same password, you can select them as a group, and add them
at the same time.
Enter up to 31 characters
to name the cluster.
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