How to connect multiple Ethernet switches?

Ethernet is not a new technology as it has been used for data and communication for a long time. It uses Ethernet switches to interconnect devices in a strategic manner. Two devices can be connected on Ethernet or multiple devices can be connected. Due to the complexity of data transmission and communication applications, Ethernet network monitoring and management has also become increasingly complex.

Ethernet switches play an important role in managed and unmanaged switch types of networks. These Ethernet switches are connected to each other to create a network of Ethernet devices and transfer data to specific devices only.

There are many different ways to connect Ethernet switches. However, depending on the application, you must choose the right method to connect an Ethernet switch. This article will discuss all the different ways to network Ethernet switches.

Ethernet switches can be connected in three ways:

Switch Cascading

Cascade switch network or cascading is a method of connecting switches in a continuous layout. In this technique, data is passed from one switch to another until it reaches the desired location or switch.

The purpose of this technology is to form the topology of Ethernet switches. Following are the two topologies formed using this technology.

Daisy Chain Topology: In a daisy chain topology, switches are connected in series with each other. However, the switches at both ends are not interconnected. This means that to transfer data from one extreme to the other, the data must be passed by all the intermediate switches one by one. Furthermore, the same chain can be looped in a ring topology, enabling a direct connection between the first and last switch in the network.

Star Topology: In star topology, there is a core switch to which other switches are connected. Hence, the core switch becomes the common intermediary for transmission between any two switches. In this topology, data can be transmitted from the core switch to all other switches in the network simultaneously. However, for other switches, direct transmission is not the case. Data transmitted from one switch goes to the core switch and then further sent to the destination node, i.e., the receiving switch.

Switch stacking

Stacking is an advanced technique for connecting Ethernet switches. When more Ethernet switches need to be connected and the daisy chain topology is not enough, multiple Ethernet switches can be connected using this technique. This technique allows up to 24 Ethernet switches to be connected. This stackable network switch technology is used to increase the efficiency of Ethernet networks. Since this technology does not involve any bottleneck connection loops, it provides higher scalability and easy maintenance of the switches. In this technology, all the stacked switches together act as a single powered switch.

Switch Cluster

Switch clustering is a technology in which up to 16 switches can be connected and managed through a single IP address. In this technology, a large number of Ethernet switches are clustered or interconnected together and controlled by a management switch. The management switch is also called a command switch. This switch commands and triggers data transmission from one switch to another in the cluster network. This technology can be used to interconnect switches over Ethernet, regardless of where the switches are located. It also provides security as a backup command switch is arranged. If the primary command switch fails, the backup command switch takes over and prevents data transmission interruptions.