Dell PS4100 Technical Information download pdf (Page 46)

June 2012 Dell EqualLogic Configuration Guide v13.2 40

fabric. Figure 14 shows the two common methods for interconnecting switches, using either stacking

switches or non-stacking switches.

Figure 14 Switch Interconnects

4.3.1.1 Stacking Switches

Stacking switches provide the preferred method for creating an inter-switch connection within a Layer

2 network infrastructure. Stacking is typically accomplished using a vendor proprietary, high-

bandwidth, low-latency interconnect that allows two or more switches to be connected in such a way

that each switch becomes part of a larger, virtual switch. A stackable switch will provide a set of

dedicated stacking ports. Installation of an optional stacking module may be required. Considerations

for stacking link bandwidth:

1Gb Switches The stacking link bandwidth should be at least 10Gb/s in each direction on

each wire (full-duplex) to provide adequate throughput to support an

EqualLogic SAN consisting of 1Gb arrays.

10Gb Switches The stacking link bandwidth should be at least 40Gb/s in each direction on

each wire (full-duplex) to provide adequate throughput to support an

EqualLogic SAN consisting of 10Gb arrays or a mix of 1Gb and 10Gb arrays.

4.3.1.2 Non-Stacking Switches

Non-stacking switches do not have a dedicated switch interconnect. In this case to create an

interconnect between the switches you must utilize one or more ports on each switch to create a Link

Aggregation Group (LAG). This type of Inter-switch connection should utilize link aggregation

functions (if provided by the switch) to aggregate multiple Ethernet ports into a single, logical high

bandwidth interconnect. There are several options depending on the vendor of the switch. Table 16

describes the most common options.

Note: For best performance and reliability, we recommend that all interconnection paths between

non-stacking switches (LAGs) use a dynamic link aggregation protocol such as LACP.

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Dell PS4100 Technical Information Page 46