Flexible stacking port

摘要

A stackable device having a plurality of data ports, wherein each of the data ports is capable of operating as a regular data port or a stacking port. A first set of one or more of the data ports is specified as a first flexible stacking port, and a second set of one or more of the data ports is specified as a second flexible stacking port. Each flexible stacking port can be individually configured to operate as an actual stacking port, if required by the configuration of an associated stack. If a flexible stacking port is not configured to operate as an actual stacking port, then the data port(s) included in the flexible stacking port are available to operate as regular data port(s).

主权项

1. A stackable switching device, comprising:
a plurality of ports, each port dynamically configurable as either a data port or a stacking port; and a processor to:
initiate a control protocol to detect another stackable switching device in a stack, such other detected switching device including a plurality of flexible stacking ports configurable to operate as either data ports or stacking ports for connection to other stackable switching devices; and transmit a stack-port instruction to the detected stackable switching device to cause the detected stackable switching device to configure at least one of its flexible stacking ports as a stacking port instead of as a data port.