The total number of switches in a clustercannot exceed 16 switches. The switches in the cluster use the switch clusteringtechnology so that you can configure and troubleshoot a group of different Catalystdesktop switch platforms through a single IP address.In a switch cluster, 1 switch must be the cluster command switch and up to 15 otherswitches can be cluster member switches. How to do Switch Clustering for CiscoCatalyst 29-S?Switch ClustersA switch cluster is a set of up to 16 connected, cluster-capable Catalyst switches thatare managed as a single entity. Contents v Catalyst 2960 Switch Software Configuration Guide OL-8603-02 CHAPTER 4 Configuring Cisco IOS CNS Agents 4-1 Understanding Cisco Configuration Engine Software 4-1 Configuration Service 4-2 Event Service 4-3 NameSpace Mapper 4-3 What You Should Know About the CNS IDs and Device Hostnames 4-3 ConfigID 4-3 DeviceID 4-4 Hostname and DeviceID 4-4 Using Hostname, DeviceID, and

Cluster members are connected to the clustercommand switch according to the connectivity guidelines. The switches can be in the same location, or they can bedistributed across a Layer 2 or Layer 3 (if your cluster is using a Catalyst 3550,Cisco 3560 , or Catalyst 3750 switch as a Layer 3 router between the Layer 2switches in the cluster) network. A switch stack is a set of Catalystswitches connected through their stack ports.Benefits of clustering switches Management of Catalyst switches regardless of their interconnection media andtheir physical locations. Clustermembers can belong to only one cluster at a time.NoteA switch cluster is different from a switch stack.

Before connecting the switch to a power source, review the safety warnings in Chapter 2 'Switch Installation.' Accessing the CLI Through the Console Port You can enter Cisco IOS commands and parameters through the CLI.The above commands are sufficient to make your Cisco Router as NTP Server. To set up the switch by using Express Setup, see the Catalyst 3560-C and 2960-C Switch Getting Started Guide. Enter these commands, one at a time. You need to give Interface VLAN 1 an IP address and bring it up. Allcommunication with the switch cluster is through the cluster command switch IPaddress.1I assume you are trying this in packet tracer.

It is not a command or member switch of another cluster.NoteStandby cluster command switches must be the same type of switches as the clustercommand switch. It is redundantly connected to the cluster so that connectivity to cluster memberswitches is maintained. It is connected to all other cluster member switches (except the cluster commandand standby command switches) through a common VLAN. It is connected to the command switch and to other standby command switchesthrough its management VLAN. It has CDP version 2 enabled.

It is not a command or cluster member switch of another cluster. It has CDP version 2 enabled. Although not required, a candidate orcluster member switch can have its own IP address and password.NoteStacking is supported only on Catalyst 2960-S switches running the LAN base image.To join a cluster, a candidate switch must meet these requirements: It is running cluster-capable software. Cluster member switches are switches and switch stacks thathave actually been added to a switch cluster. Refer to the switch configurationguide of other cluster-capable switches for their requirements on standby clustercommand switches.Candidate Switch and Cluster Member SwitchCharacteristicsCandidate switches are cluster-capable switches and switch stacks that have not yetbeen added to a cluster. Ifthe cluster command switch is a Catalyst 2960-S switch, the standby cluster commandswitches must also be Catalyst 2960-S switches.

The edge of thecluster is where the last cluster member switches are connected to the cluster and tocandidate switches.Cluster member switches 9 and 10 are at the edge of the cluster. Candidate and cluster memberswitches can connect through any VLAN in common with the cluster commandswitch.Automatic Discovery of Cluster Candidates and MembersThe cluster command switch uses Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) to discover clustermember switches, candidate switches, neighboring switch clusters, and edge devicesacross multiple VLANs and in star or cascaded topologies.Discovery through CDP HopsBy using CDP, a cluster command switch can discover switches up to seven CDPhops away (the default is three hops) from the edge of the cluster. Forcomplete information about these switches in a switch-cluster environment, refer tothe software configuration guide for that specific switch.This requirement does not apply if you have a Catalyst 2970, Catalyst 3550, Catalyst3560, or Catalyst 3750 cluster command switch. NoteCatalyst 1900, Catalyst 2820, Catalyst 2900 XL, Catalyst 2950, and Catalyst 3500 XLcandidate and cluster member switches must be connected through their managementVLAN to the cluster command switch and standby cluster command switches. It is connected to the cluster command switch through at least one commonVLAN.3 4. The VLAN to eachstandby cluster command switch can be different.

However, the cluster command switch does not discover the switchthat is connected to a Catalyst 5000 switch.Discovery through Different VLANsIf the cluster command switch is a Catalyst 2970, Catalyst 3550, Catalyst 3560, orCatalyst 3750 switch, the cluster can have cluster member switches in differentVLANs. However, if the cluster command switch is connected to a noncluster-capableCisco device, it cannot discover a cluster-enabled device connected beyondthe noncluster-capable Cisco device.It shows that the cluster command switch discovers the switch that is connected to athird-party hub. It does not discover switch 15 because it isfour hops from the edge of the cluster.Discovery through Non-CDP-Capable and Noncluster-CapableDevicesIf a cluster command switch is connected to a non-CDP-capable third-party hub (suchas a non-Cisco hub), it can discover cluster-enabled devices connected to that third-partyhub. Cluster command switch discovers switches 11, 12, 13, and 14 because they are withinthree hops from the edge of the cluster. The CDP hop count is three.

They do notneed to be connected to the cluster command switch through their managementVLAN. As cluster member switches, they must be connectedthrough at least one VLAN in common with the cluster command switch. Catalyst 2900 XL, Catalyst 2950, and Catalyst 3500 XL cluster member switchesmust be connected to the cluster command switch through their management VLAN.Discovery through Different Management VLANsCatalyst 2970, Catalyst 3550, Catalyst 3560, or Catalyst 3750 cluster commandswitches can discover and manage cluster member switches in different VLANs anddifferent management VLANs. It does not discover the switch in VLAN 50.It also does not discover the switch in VLAN 16 in the first column because thecluster command switch has no VLAN connectivity to it.5 6. The cluster command switch inthe following figure has ports assigned to VLANs 9, 16, and 62 and thereforediscovers the switches in those VLANs.

The management VLAN on the cluster command switch isVLAN 9.

Configure Cisco 2960 Switch