Brocade FastIron Ethernet Switch Stacking Configuration Guide - Manual (Page 24)

• You can connect one or both ports in a trunk. Connecting both ports in a trunk increases stacking
bandwidth and provides resiliency.
• You must enable stacking and connect cables properly for the stack to work. The active copper
cable lengths for 1-Gbps ports are 1 m (3.2 ft) and 5 m (16.4 ft). The copper cable lengths for 10-
Gbps ports are 1 m (3.2 ft), 3 m (9.8 ft), and 5 m (16.4 ft).
• The default stacking ports are always ports 1 and 3. You can trunk (or un-trunk) ports 1 to 2 and
or ports 3 to 4. One or both of the two sets of stacking ports can be trunked (or un-trunked).
• When creating a trunk, the ports in the same column are always trunked. For ICX 6450 devices,
all stack ports must be configured to 10-Gbps port speed to enable trunking. For ICX 6430
devices, all stack ports must be at 1-Gbps port speed to enable trunking. For example, you can
connect ports 1/2/3 to 1/2/4 to form one trunk on one device, and ports 2/2/1 to 2/2/2 to form a
second trunk on another device.
• If you connect both ports in a trunk, both ports must connect to both ports of one trunk on another
device.
ICX 6430 and ICX 6450 stack topologies
In a linear stack topology, there is a single stack cable connection between each switch that carries
two-way communications across the stack. In a ring stack topology, an extra cable is connected
between the top and bottom switches forming a "ring" or "closed-loop." The closed-loop cable provides
a redundant path for the stack link, so if one link fails, stack communications can be maintained. The
closed-loop cable provides more stacking bandwidth and shortens the paths between some units.
The following figures show stacking cabling configurations. All the stacking configuration examples are
applicable to both ICX 6430 and ICX 6450 switches.
ICX 6430 and ICX 6450 stack topologies
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