Brocade traditional stacking topologies

Brocade traditional stacking technology supports linear and ring topologies.

Although Brocade stackable units may be connected in a simple linear topology, Brocade recommends a ring topology because it offers the best redundancy and the most resilient operation. Unicast switching follows the shortest path in a ring topology. When the ring is broken, the stack recalculates the forwarding path and then resumes the flow of traffic within a few seconds.

In a ring topology, all stack members must have two stacking ports; however, in a linear topology, both end units use only one stacking port, leaving the other port available as a data port.