3750 stacking question

[mduhra]

Hi,

I'm setting up a stack of 3750s, like so:

Master - 3750E-48TD-E

Mem#1 - 3750G-12S-E

Mem#2 - 3750G-12S-E

Master is running: c3750e-universal-mz.122-35.SE5

Members are running: c3750-ipservices-mz.122-35.SE5

Cisco best practice says have the same IOS on stack members.

1. Is the Universal feature set the same as the IPServices ? If not, which one should I use ?

2. Shouldn't the master copy it's IOS to the members once the stackwise cable is connected. I notice my member switch still has the original IOS after I disconnect them from the master.

3. What command will allow me to check the IOS of members of a stack if the stack is already up and running. All I can see is the masters settings ?

[cisconoobie]

3. Show version will show you all stacks.

[mduhra]

for 3. Show ver show the IOS of the Master switch, Is there a way to see the IOS of the Member switches while in stack config ?

[hobbe]

the show version commands shows you many different things including the information you want.

looks something like this:

Switch Ports Model SW Version SW Image

------ ----- ----- ---------- ----------

1 28 WS.. 12.X.X C3750-IPBASE-M

Regards

Torbjorn

[cisconoobie]

Show tech-support

Show platform stack-manager all

Try those to see if you find what you are looking for.

[whit_richardson]

here is my real life experience. I tried stacking switchs with mismatched IOS and they didn't work together at all. Another time one master tried to update a new switch memember and it got so hosed Cisco told me to just RMA it because it couldn't be fixed.

Another time I tried upgrading the master and then I ended up with one switch by itself and the other switches formed their own stack even though they were all cabled together.

The "Stackwise" technolgy is nowhere near as pug'n'play as Cisco would make you think it is and there are a lot of gotcha's to this stuff.

Hint. If you use the GUI to do upgrades it puts the software in all the right places. The flash has the IOS stashed in a dir named after the IOS image which is confusing.

If you don't use the GUI you have to carefully load the new IOS on all the switches in the same flash location and remove the old IOS. It's a pain but workable.

[nicolas.vallot]

I agree, Stackwise technology is not plug&play at all.

Not later then today I tried to upgrade a stack of 4 Cat3750's.

I upgraded the master from 12.2(25) to 12.2(40) and reloaded it, then reloaded the other stack members. The master never uploaded its IOS to the members.

I eventualy sorted it out by doing a manual update on each switch then adding it back to the stack one by one.

It's a bit of a pain but at the end I know that everything has been upgraded correctly.

Stackwise ? no thanks not for me...

[glen.grant]

I agree its tricky at best , you are better off doing a manual copy from the master down to the other stack members flash and then reload them.I have never figured out what versions you could use together and what is a major and minor version revision number. They could have taken a lesson from the old Bay hubs where you had the top master and you just plugged them into the back and the master controlled the rest with no intervention. 3750's can be a pain sometimes .