How many switches can you stack

Both stacking switches and chassis provide benefits of multiple ports combined with the convenience of managing one device. However, each has its pros and cons you need to consider. A chassis switch is a network switch that contains a certain number of fixed slots, into which various types of line cards can be inserted.

Different from a stack that is formed by several stackable switches that are connected through stacking cables, a chassis switch doesn't need to connect switches because fixed modules are inside it. MLAG and stacking are often compared together because they are both scalable solutions that can provide link redundancy, reduce network complexity and improve network performance. However, there are also some differences between them. MLAG, which refers to multi-device link aggregation group, is commonly used in the data center access layer.

While switch stacking is mostly seen in the enterprise access layer, better in its simple management and low operation and maintenance costs. Switch stacking, cascading and clustering have both similarities and differences in various aspects. The differences between them are listed below. Stacking and clustering are functions of network switches while cascading is a general way to connect switches.

You can only take stackable switches of the same model from one vendor and stack them, but in terms of cascading, switches from different vendors can be cascaded, while a cluster must be the switches from the same vendor. Stacking always has a limitation on the number of switches in a stack group. The exact quantities vary from series to vendors. There is no limitation on the number of switches that are cascaded together theoretically, but note that cascading too many switches may cause a broadcast storm, which will affect the whole network performance.

The distance of the switches that are stacked together via the use of physical stacking is limited by the length of the special stacking cable, but virtual switch stacking and switch cascading offer more flexibility.

Switch clustering can be either in the same location or at different layers. Management of the three switch-connecting technologies is different. Stacking switches are more easily managed because all the stackable switches in a group can be configured on the switch master, while cascaded switches are individually configured and cluster members have separate and individual configurations files.

Uplink is a subject concept which means so-called uplink port of a switch is connected to another switch. You are asked to add 5 more computers in this network. What will you do? Without any doubt, the first option is the easiest solution, but it not only cost a lot of money but also waste the existing device. Due to these reasons, administrators generally do not prefer this option. Administrators usually prefer the second option as it not only reduces the cost but also utilizes the existing devices.

But, the second option is not as easy as the first option. When you connect two or more Cisco switches on the uplink ports through the Ethernet cables, the following will happen after the connection. A Cisco switch has its own IOS and works as a separate device. It uses the MAC address table to make the frame forwarding decision. For easier and remote management an IP address can also be assigned to it.

If we connect switches to expand the network, these features and functions are not only used to manage the network but also used to secure the network from unauthorized access.

If we connect switches to use them as a single large switch, these features and functions become the biggest obstacle. Then what is stack switch? Stack switch, also called stackable switch, allows several switches to stack via the specific stackwise port or uplink port.

Stackable switch from different vendors may support different number of switch stacking together. For example, Cisco stack switch can have a maximum of eight switches to be stacked, while Dell N series stack switches are up to twelve.

Stack switch usually comes with a fixed configuration like 12, 24, or 48 Gigabit Ethernet ports. Compared with modular switches that allow line cards or service modules in and out as needed, stack switches are more cost-effective in enterprise campus networks which offer endpoint connectivity and uplink capabilities for users at a price per port.

Therefore, for those who have limited switch port or enterprise networks that lack physical expandability, stack switch is an excellent choice for network expansion. From the first generation of Cisco series stack switches, the stackable Ethernet switch market has become more mature, so does the switch stacking technology.

The typical method for switch stacking is to use stacking cable via stackwise port. Take Cisco series stack switches for example. Stackwise port lies on the rear-panel.