Allied Telesis AT-8100S/24 User Manual

Page of 138
Stack Installation Guide for 8100S Series Switches
39
S1 and S2 Stacking Ports
The switch may be used as a stand-alone unit or as part of a stack in 
which multiple units are interconnected via the S1 and S2 stacking ports 
on the front panels. Compared to stand-alone switches, which function as 
independent units, the switches of a stack synchronize their actions to 
form a single, logical unit so that the switching operations, like spanning 
tree protocols, virtual LANs, and static port trunks, are able to span across 
all the units.
The two principal advantages of stacks are:
You can manage multiple units simultaneously, thus simplifying 
network management.
You have more flexibility in how you configure some of the 
features. For instance, a static port trunk on a stand-alone switch 
has to consist of ports from the same switch. In contrast, a static 
trunk on a stack may consist of ports from different switches in the 
same stack.
This guide explains how to install the units in a stack. For instructions on 
how to install the switches as stand-alone units, refer to the Stand-alone 
Switch Installation Guide for 8100L and 8100S Series Switches
.