Stacking Cables
A stack cable has to match the stacking system of the switch as well as the gap between switches: Cisco's StackWise-480 switches take STACK-T1 cables and its StackPower stacks take CAB-SPWR cables, while Dell's N-Series and PowerConnect switches use their own stacking cables. Read the stacking system and the length off the cable you are replacing. Cisco's StackWise-480 cables carry STACK-T1 part numbers by length, such as the STACK-T1-50CM. Each cable is checked in our lab before it is boxed.
-
Dell Networking N2000/N3000/S3100 0.6M Stacking Cable | W508FAvailability: Available by QuoteManufacturer: Dell Condition: Refurbished 1 Year WarrantyRequest PricingOut of stock
Which stack cable fits which switch
Each cable family belongs to one stacking system: STACK-T1 cables build a StackWise-480 data stack, which Cisco rates at 480 Gbps with up to nine Catalyst 3850 or eight Catalyst 9300 switches, and CAB-SPWR cables join a Catalyst 3850 StackPower stack of up to four switches. The Cisco rows follow Cisco's data sheets, and the Dell rows the switch families Dell's stacking cables are built for.
| Stacking system | Cable family | Switch families | Stack limits Cisco publishes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cisco StackWise-480 data stack | STACK-T1, in 0.5 m, 1 m and 3 m lengths | Catalyst 3850; Catalyst C9300 and C9300X | 480 Gbps; up to nine 3850s or eight 9300s |
| Cisco StackWise-320 data stack | Cables of the 9300L stack kit, 0.5 m, 1 m or 3 m | Catalyst 9300L and 9300LM | Up to eight switches |
| Cisco StackWise-160 and StackWise-80 | Cables of the 9200 and 9200L stack kits, 0.5 m, 1 m or 3 m | Catalyst 9200 (StackWise-160) and 9200L (StackWise-80) | 160 or 80 Gbps; up to eight switches |
| Cisco StackPower power stack | CAB-SPWR, in 30 cm and 150 cm lengths | Catalyst 3850 | Four switches in a ring; up to nine through Cisco's expandable power system (XPS) |
| Cisco StackWise | CAB-STACK | Catalyst 3750 family | - |
| Dell Networking stacking | Dell stacking cables | N2000, N3000 and S3100 | - |
| Dell PowerConnect stacking | Dell stacking and CX-4 cables | PowerConnect 62xx and 7024 | - |
| QSFP+ port stacking | 40GBASE-CR4 copper cable | Switches that stack over 40GbE QSFP+ ports | - |
Cable a data stack as a closed ring, with the last switch connected back to the first. Cisco's Catalyst 9300 installation guide shows the full ring as the layout with redundant connections, and an incomplete ring as a stack that runs on half its bandwidth with no redundant path.
The switches themselves are on Cisco Switches, Catalyst 9300 and Dell Networking, and copper cables for switch-to-server links are on Direct-Attach Cables.
Stack cable questions
- Which stacking cable does my Cisco switch use?
- The stacking system of the switch line decides it. Catalyst 3850 and modular-uplink Catalyst 9300 switches stack over StackWise-480 cables, the fixed-uplink 9300L uses the StackWise-320 cables of its own stack kit, and the Catalyst 9200 and 9200L stack through StackWise-160 and StackWise-80 kits. Cisco lists each of these data stack cables in 0.5 m, 1 m and 3 m lengths, while a 3850 power stack runs on separate StackPower cables.
- Can switches of different families share one stack?
- Only in the combinations Cisco documents. Its Catalyst 9300 data sheet lets C9300X and C9300 models stack together at StackWise-480 speed when they run the same license level, and rules out stacking fixed-uplink 9300L models with modular-uplink 9300 models. Its Catalyst 9200 data sheet says mixed stacking is not supported, so a 9200L stacks only with other 9200L switches, and a LAN Base Catalyst 3850 stacks only with other LAN Base 3850s.
