Cloud-Managed Stacking

Aruba Instant On supports cloud-managed stacking, which is a method of binding multiple Instant On switches so that they can act as a single switch. The switches must be directly connected to each other to form a chain or ring topology. This feature is supported only on the Instant On 1960 Series switches. A maximum of four switches can be deployed in a stack. Each Instant On site can accommodate multiple stacks. The switches in the stack comprise of the following roles:

  • Conductor—Primary switch to which the uplink cable is connected.
  • Backup—Secondary switch which takes over the responsibilities of the Conductor in case of a failover.
  • Member—Constitutes the remaining two switches in the stack.

The Conductor is responsible for providing Layer 3 services. In an event where the Conductor goes offline, the Backup switch takes over the responsibilities of the Conductor until the Conductor is back online.

A stack must contain at least two Aruba Instant On 1960 Series switches. A stack can be created by one of the following methods:

  • Creating a new site during the initial setup.
  • Creating a new stack after the initial setup
  • There are a total of six SKUs for the Instant On 1960 switches and a stack can be formed by picking any variant of the 1960 switches. For example, an Instant On 1960 24 port PoE switch can be stacked with a 1960 8p 1G 4p 2.5G hybrid access switch.
  • Instant On 1960 switches support Hybrid Stacking. For example, an Instant On stack can contain a mix of 1960 access or aggregator switches to form a stack.
  • Instant On 1960 stack can be connected with either 1G / 2.5G or 10G ports however it is recommend to connect both ends of the stacking ports to the same speed.

Creating a New Stack— During Initial Setup

During the initial setup, a new stack can be created when creating a new site, or when extending the network. To discover Instant On 1960 Series switches during the initial setup, the switches must be connected in a ring or chain topology. A minimum of two switches and maximum of four switches need to be connected on the same layer 2 network. The layer 2 network should be the management network.

Figure 1  Ring Topology

Figure 2  Chain Topology

The following procedure allows you to create a new stack during the initial setup of an Instant On site:

  1. Connect the Instant On 1960 Series in a ring or chain topology and follow the instructions provided in Setup a New Site. The discovery protocol should be able to detect the Instant On 1960 switch stack.
  2. In the Add new devices page, select the stack from the list of discovered devices in the network.
  3. Click Finish.

    The newly created stack is now displayed in the site inventory.

To create a new stack using the extend my network setting, follow the instructions provided in Extend using a cable. This method allows you to deploy a stack only when it is connected in a ring topology.

Creating a New Stack— After Initial Setup

After completing the initial setup, you are allowed to deploy a stack using either the ring or chain topology. The following procedure describes how to create a new stack after completing the initial setup for the site:

  1. Tap the Inventory() tile on the Aruba Instant On home screen or click the Site Health() banner and then click on Show inventory.
  2. Tap the standalone Instant On 1960 Series switch on which the stack is to be created. The Switch Details screen is displayed.
  3. Tap the advanced menu () icon in the title bar of the Switch Details screen.
  4. Tap Create stack. The screen displays the standalone Instant On 1960 Series switches that are part of the site inventory.
  5. Tap the Instant On 1960 Series switch you wish to add to the stack and then tap Add device.
  6. In the Roles screen, set the Backup role for the newly added Instant On 1960 switch. The switch that was used to initiate creating the stack automatically assumes the roles of the Conductor.
  7. Tap Continue.

    The newly created stack is now displayed in the site inventory.

Out of the four Aruba Instant On 1960 switches in a stack, one switch should be assigned the role of the Conductor and another switch as the Backup. The remaining two switches in the stack will assume the role of Member switches. If a stack comprises of only two switches, then it would have a Conductor switch and a Backup switch, but no Member switch.

Adding an Instant On 1960 Series Switch to an Existing Stack

The following procedure allows you to add an Instant On 1960 Series switch to an existing stack in the inventory, which comprises of less than three Instant On 1960 Series switches:

  1. Tap the Inventory() tile on the Aruba Instant On home screen or click the Site Health() banner and then click on Show inventory.
  2. Ensure that the Instant On 1960 switch to be added in the stack is listed in the inventory.
  3. Tap on the stack listed in the Inventory list. The Stack Details screen is displayed.
  4. Tap the Stack management link in the Stack Details screen. The Instant On 1960 switches are listed in order of their assigned roles.
  5. Tap the advanced menu () icon in the title bar of the Stack Management screen and then tap Add device to stack. The screen displays the standalone Instant On 1960 Series switches that are part of the site inventory, but not part of the stack.
  6. Tap the Instant On 1960 Series switch you wish to add to the stack and then tap Add device.

    The selected Instant On 1960 Series switch is now added to the stack in the inventory.