3560 stacking in a IDF

david.mercuri · ‎02-05-2008

I have 3 3560's in one closet that are connecting with copper SFP's between each other. The top 3560 and bottom 3560 have a fiber SFP to the Core. How important is it to have the return cable from the top 3560 to the bottom 3560 switch?

glen.grant · ‎02-05-2008

Not sure what you are asking . 3560's don't have a stacking capability like the 3750's do . That being said there is no reason those 2 switches need to be tied together. Basically those switches are just daisy chained togther not stacked.

david.mercuri · ‎02-05-2008

Let me try again. A very common design in a IDF closet with 3560's is to connect them together via SFP's. Then connect the IDF to the MDF with two fiber connections.

So in a 3 switch IDF you have the top connecting to middle and the middle connecting to bottom. Then you might have your fiber connections off the top and bottom switch to the MDF. So from a redundancy/resiliency does it make sense to tie the top and bottom switch together say in the event the middle switch failed?

Joseph W. Doherty · ‎02-05-2008

It could be a good idea for another reason beyond what appears as obvious path redundancy within the closet, because with uplinks coming off both top bottom switches, breaking the center link would physically partition top and bottom switches. What the impact would be would depend on the network topology on the uplinks' side.