Stacking can greatly improve the switch port density and performance. The port density and performance of stacked units are comparable to those of large rack switches, but the investment is much cheaper and the implementation is much more flexible than that of rack switches. This is the advantage of stacking.
Stacking, not all devices can.
Meet the requirements: use special stacking module and stacking bus to stack, without occupying network ports; After multiple switches are stacked, there is enough system bandwidth to ensure that each port can still realize line speed switching after stacking; After stacking multiple switches, functions such as VLAN are not affected.
The mainstream switches in the market can be subdivided into stackable and non-stackable types. In the so-called stackable switch, there are virtual stacks and real stacks. The so-called virtual stack is actually a cascade between switches. Switches are not stacked through dedicated stacking modules and stacking cables, but through fast Ethernet ports or Gigabit Ethernet ports. In fact, this is a cascade in disguise. Nevertheless, virtual stacked switches can be managed as logical devices in the network, which makes network management easier.
Generally speaking, switches of different manufacturers and models can be cascaded with each other, but the stacking is different. It must be carried out between stackable switches of the same type (at least switches of the same manufacturer); Cascading is only a simple connection between switches, while stacking takes the whole stacking unit as a switch, which not only means the increase of port density, but also means the widening of system bandwidth.