iStack and CSS have the same principles. They combine several switchs into one big switch.

Cluster Switch System (CSS)

In physical have devices. After deploy CSS obtain one logical devices.
CSS simplifies network architecture, improves forwarding performance, and does
not lead to the loss of any network functions. CSS has all functions of the physical
switches in the cluster and provides better performance. CSS gains wide customer
recognition and becomes a preferred solution for simple and efficient network
deployment.

This means, if you want make a telnet to devices. Only one telnet must be do to the
devices with ip address.

High Reliability. If one device or slot failure. The Big device still working.

Is not necessary run L2 protocol protection as STP, but take carefully with extra links
between devices.

STP have bad performance.

CSS/iStack suit for small/middle size DC

Please follow the Start Topology for this.

CSS it usefull for CE12xxx bigs switchs.

You can deploy stack into CE12xxx? Yes, HedEx (CloudEngine 7800&6800&5800 )
Configuring a Stack
CSS has gone through two development stages.

At the early stage, switches set up a CSS using dedicated line cards. Physical switches are
interconnected by dedicated line cards and stack cables. Because the dedicated line cards
do not occupy slots for service line cards, they do not deteriorate forwarding performance
of the entire system. Meanwhile, interfaces on dedicated line cards have a higher
transmission rate than interfaces on service line cards, improving bandwidth for CSS
interconnection. (s9300)

At the later stage, the physical switches set up a CSS using service line cards (LPU)and are
interconnected by standard cables. Although several service interfaces are used for
interconnection, this mode has a slight impact on the forwarding performance of the
entire system because the forwarding capability of switches has greatly improved. The use
of standard service interfaces and standard cables allows switches far from each other to
form a cluster, making CSS deployment flexible. Moreover, the interconnected interfaces
support link aggregation, which allows flexible expansion of interconnection bandwidth.
(CEswitch)
iStack it usefull for CE58xx/68xx switchs.

By the iStack the number port change.

GE 1/0/1-GE1/0/23
GE 2/0/1-GE2/0/23

The maximun of iStack member is restrited by the model number.

HedEx (CloudEngine 8800, 7800, 6800, and 5800) Stacked Device and Version
Requirements

What Are Difference Between CSS and iStack?

Recommended:
Cluster Switch System (CSS) technology is used to set up a stack of modular
switches.
iStack technology is used to set up a stack of fixed switches. CSS and iStack have
different implementation methods but have the same functions.

License
http://support.huawei.com/carrier/docview!docview?nid=DOC1000368451&partNo=
j003
Stack Domain

Stack Member ID. The stack member command sets the stack member ID of a
member switch.
By default, the stack member ID of a device is 1. The value is an integer that ranges
from 1 to 9 or 1 to 16.

Stack Priority the highest priority decides who is the Master. By default, the stack
priority is 100. The value is an integer that ranges from 1 to 255.

inherit-config, if you specify inherit-config, the switch inherits the

original stack configuration after it restarts, including
the stack priority, stack domain ID, and physical member port configuration.
If you do not specify inherit-config, the current stack configuration is lost after the
switch restarts, and the configuration related to the new stack member ID in the
configuration file takes effect.
Roles:

Switches that have joined a stack are member switches. Each member switch in a
stack plays one of the following roles:

Master switch:
The master switch manages the entire stack. A stack has only one master switch.

Standby switch:
The standby switch is a backup of the master switch. When the master switch fails,
the standby switch takes over all services from the master switch. A stack has only
one standby switch.

Stack domain
After switches are connected using stack links and set up a stack, they form a stack
domain. Multiple stacks can be deployed on a network to support various
applications. These stacks are identified by their domain IDs.

Stack member ID
Stack member IDs are used to identify and manage member switches in a stack. Each
member switch in a stack has a unique member ID.

Stack priority
The stack priority of a member switch determines the role of the member switch in
role election. A larger value indicates a higher priority and higher probability that the
member switch is elected as the master switch.

Physical member port

After the mode of a physical port is set to stack, the port becomes a physical member
port. Physical member ports are used to connect stack member switches.

Stack port
A stack port is a logical port exclusively used for stacking and includes several physical
stack ports. Multiple physical member ports can be added to a stack port to improve
stack link bandwidth and reliability. Each switch supports one stack port. Before the
stacking function is enabled, the stack port is named Stack-Port1. After the stacking
function is enabled, the stack port is named Stack-Portn/1, where nis the stack
member ID of the switch.
Management channel: It is a channel for data exchange between the management
plane and control plane. It is responsible for device management, route
synchronization, and status synchronization between CSS switches.

Forwarding channel: It is a channel for data exchange between the forwarding

planes of CSS switches. It is responsible for packet forwarding and MAC address
synchronization.

HedEx (CloudEngine 12800 and 12800E Series Switches Product Documentation)

stack link-type

Advantages:

Outband Management Channel: The GE interfaces on the MPUs of two switches

are connected to function as the management channel. It supports outband
management, provides high reliability, and does not occupy service resources.
Inband Management Channel: The management channel is deployed within the
forwarding channel . It simplifies network deployment, saves cabling costs, and
allows switches far from each other to form a cluster.

Independent management channel is recommended

System Inter-Connect Port (SIP) interface
Complies with the IEEE802.3z standard.
There are two SIP interfaces on the MPU of a CE12800&12800E switch.
The SIP interface is a combo interface that is composed of a GE electrical interface and a
GE optical interface. It is designed for connection between stack management links.

interface sip 0/0/1

Interface sip 0/0/0

The conection between MPU is with traditional cable

Forwarding Channel.

1+1 networking:
Or
N+M networking (N ≥ 2, M ≥ 2)
High-speed interconnection: CSS allows a maximum of 16 interfaces to be bundled
into a trunk interface, providing 640 Gbit/s of unidirectional forwarding bandwidth.
To guarante the Life Cycle of teh CSS

Creating CSS

1. Setting up: Check the configuration

2. Connect LAN cables between Switchs
3. Wait for the automatic reboot
4. After reboot, the physicals switchs become one Logical switch.

Removing the CCS

1. If you remove the CCS configuration and remove the lan cable, become to normal
switch.
After the configuration and startup the devices:

Master/Backup election Rules:

1.Comparing device operation status: the maximum MPUs in the device, become to
master role.
2.Comparing the number of MPUs
3.Comparing the stack priorities: comparing the Stack priority. The highest become
to master role.
4.Comparing the system software versions
5.Comparing MAC addresses
Local Interface preferred, by default. Forward the traffic to outbound local interface.
Non-Local interface preferred, is a ramdom distributor traffic forward between two
devices.
Data synchronization
LPU only synchronize the forwarding plane->Without control plane
MPU synchronize the control plane –>With the control plane
With single MPU is based on high priority.

Next slide for Dual MPU and with priority by default.

At the begin SWA Slot 1 Master MPU fail -> SWB MPU stand-by become the Master.
Show the example with the css broke and the loop become, remember that backup switch
become block without the ccs cable.

Command> dual-active detect mode direct

HedEX (CloudEngine 12800 and 12800E Series Switches Product Documentation)
Stack Split and Dual-Active Detection
Procedure
Run the system-view command to enter the system view.
Run the stack command to enter the stack management view.
Run the undo stack enable member { member-id | all } command to disable the
stacking function.
After you disable the stacking function, the member switches restart without a
configuration file.
Remove stack cables.
HedEx (CloudEngine 12800 and 12800E Series Switches Product Documentation : )
Upgrading Stack Software

10 seconds not available when use the Fast Upgrade.

Upgrade principle
1. The standby device is upgraded first. When the standby device is upgraded,
traffic is forwarded through the master device.
2. After the standby device is upgraded and operate as an independent device, the
master device is upgraded. When the master device is upgraded, the traffic is
forwarded by the original standby device.
Connection between SWA,SWB and SWC is minimum 10 Gb

Chain topology
Ring topology

HedEx (CloudEngine 7800&6800&5800 Product Documentation :)Stack Setup and

File System Access

Set stack parameters:

Enable the stacking function.
[~SWA]stack
Enable the stack ports.

[~SWA-stack]stack port interface 10GE 1/0/1 to 1/0/4

Configure a logical stack port.
[~SWA]interface Stack-Port 1/1
[~SWA-Stack-Port1/1]port member-group interface 10GE 1/0/1 to 1/0/2
(Optional) Set the stack priority. A large value indicates a high priority.

[~SWA-stack]stack priority 150

(Recommended) Set the member ID.

[~SWB-stack]stack renumber 2 member 1

(Optional) Configure the home domain. The devices to be added to a stack must be in
the same domain.

[~SWB-stack]stack domain 1
HedEx (CloudEngine 7800&6800&5800 Product Documentation : )Joining and
Leaving a Stack

The domain ID of SWD must be the same as the domain ID of the stack.
It is recommended that you set the member ID for SWD before you configure the
stack. If you set the member ID during stack configuration, SWD needs to start
twice, which is time-consuming.
HedEx (CloudEngine 7800&6800&5800 Product Documentation : )Joining and
Leaving a Stack
CSS support only 2 devices together.

Multiple physical switches form a logical switch through the stack technology. The
stack system has only one control plane. (All physical switches use the same system
MAC address, IP address, and global configuration.)

Inter-chassis trunk: The traffic received by downstream ports on CE5800/CE6800-A

can be sent out by any port in trunk 1.

If the trunk hash algorithm selects the upstream physical port of the local switch
(CE12800-A), traffic is forwarded through CE12800-A. If the trunk hash algorithm
selects the upstream physical port of CE12800-B, traffic is forwarded to CE12800-B
through the stack link, and then sent out through the upstream port on CE12800-B.

With preferred local forwarding enabled, traffic received from CE5800/CE6800-A is

sent out through the upstream physical port of CE12800-A.
Stack support more that 2 devices together. 9-16

Trunk 3 can consist of single links or mesh connections.

Single links reduce the number of required links without degrading reliability. It is
applicable to the scenario where link resources and cables are limited.
Compared with single links, mesh connections provide higher bandwidth and
reliability. Mesh connections are applicable to the scenario where link resources are
sufficient and high forwarding performance is required.
The figure shows an example of deploying CSS on CE12800 switches. Two CE12812
switches form a CSS. The CE6800 stack is connected to the CE12800 stack through
40GE ports. CE12800 and CE6800 switches are mesh connected and set up a trunk
through the inter-chassis links. The entire network provides up to 5808 downstream
10GE ports.

Number of TOR switches (calculated in terms of physical TOR)

24 (40GE interface/slot) x 11 (slot/switch) x 2 (switch)/4 (interface/TOR)=132TORs
Access capability
Number of 10GE interfaces: 44 (10GE/TOR) x 132 (TOR) =5808interfaces
Oversubscription ratio:(4 x 40GE): (44x 10GE)=1 : 2.75
As shown in the figure, a CE12800 CSS connect to CE5800 or CE6800 switches to
form a network providing high-density GE or 10GE ports. Two CE12812 switches
form a CSS, which connects to a CE5800 or CE6800 stack through 10GE ports. The
entire network provides up to 25344 GE ports. Different combinations of upstream
links (single links or mesh connections) can be selected according to service
requirements.

Because CE12800 switches have high forwarding performance, the networking

capability of CSS formed by CE12800s is greatly improved, which allows deployment
on networks of different scales.
There is a different behavior for Unicast Traffic and Multicast Traffic.
Multicast traffic is all unknow unicast traffic and broadcast.

Explain HASH algoritm.

As shown in the figure, traffic sent by CE5800/CE6800-A is from VLAN 10 and VLAN
20. Router A and Router B run VRRP. The VRRP master of VLAN 10 is deployed on
Router A, and the VRRP master of VLAN 20 is deployed on Router B.
Traffic from CE5800/CE6800-A is sent to the two upstream links in Trunk 1 through
hash algorithm. The CE12800 stack uses preferred local forwarding. Traffic from
VLAN 10 is forwarded along the path in yellow line, and traffic from VLAN 20 is
forwarded along the path in red line.
Traffic forwarding process on CE5800/CE6800-B is similar to that on
CE5800/CE6800-A.
In the TOR stack, traffic from servers is sent to the physical links in the trunk
through the hash algorithm, and the traffic is forwarded according to the preferred
local forwarding principle.

Ring type connection.

In the TOR stack, traffic from servers is sent to the physical links in the trunk
through the hash algorithm, and the traffic is forwarded according to the preferred
local forwarding principle.

Chain type connection.

In the preceding scenario, if the software is suspended, the device does not reset,
and the stack links need to be detected using heartbeat packets, the packet
discarding duration depends on the heartbeat timeout period. The heartbeat
timeout period between stack members is 10 seconds.
After the configuration and startup the devices:

Master/Backup election Rules:

1.Comparing device operation status: the maximum MPUs in the device, become to master
role.
2.Comparing the number of MPUs
3.Comparing the stack priorities: comparing the Stack priority. The highest become to
master role.
4.Comparing the system software versions
5.Comparing MAC addresses