SOLVED
Hello @Dennis_HP-ATP, you wrote that:
Dennis_HP-ATP wrote: Current stack members are from the product type: J9727A.
These switches are running WB.16.03.0005.swi software, which is VSF capable.
but that isn't correct: the Aruba 2920 (J9727A, WB software branch) isn't VSF capable at all...to form a virtual switch it uses a backplane stacking approach (with supported Stacking Modules and Cables) not a frontplane approach (like the Aruba 5400R zl2 or the Aruba 2930F)...this also means that an Aruba 2920 stack (virtual switch) can be upgraded to VSF.
Aruba 2930M isn't VSF capable too, it uses the same backplane stacking approach (with supported Stacking Modules and Cables) of Aruba 2920...but supported Stacking Module is quite different (Aruba 2930M 2-port Stacking Module with SKU JL325A) and it also provides different performances [*] in comparison to the one supported by the Aruba 2920 (Aruba 2920 2-Port Stacking Module with SKU J9733A)...so, in the end, AFAIK they can't be mixed.
[*] the Aruba 2930M 2-port Stacking Module with SKU JL325A globally provides up to 100 Gbps of stacking throughput per switch (using all 2 stacking ports in Ring Topology) and each 2-port stacking module can support up to 25 Gbps in each direction per stacking port...that's better than Aruba 2920 2-Port Stacking Module with SKU J9733A which, if I recall correctly, handles up to 40 Gbps of stacking throughput (using all 2 stacking ports in Ring Topology) since each one of its stacking port supports up to 20 Gbps only...those numbers showed up from a comparison between 3810M and 2930M stacking modules discussed on this thread.
I'm not an HPE Employee
@Dennis_HP-ATP wrote:Hi parnassus,
Yeah, you'r right. The 2920 are backplane stacked. My bad!
So you're saying, that the 2930F has a FRONTplane stack and not a backplane stack like the 2920 model.
Exactly, Aruba 2930F adopts the frontplane stacking approach (best known as VSF Virtual Switching Framework) and did it since its initial WC.16.03 branch software release (If I recall correctly since exactly WC.16.03.0003 release)...so no backplane stacking approach (Hardware stacking modules and dedicated related cables) on Aruba 2930F: the fact that WC software branch is used also by Aruba 2930M means nothing di per sè...since Aruba 2930M doesn't support VSF, it indeed supports the backplane stacking approach (as Aruba 3810M and Aruba 2920 do, as examples) which is, as said in my previous post above, not compatible with Aruba 2920's Stacking Module (even if stacking cables should be compatible).
I got notice of the fact, that our company has bought 2930F switches and the question is now if we can mix these 2930F models with 2920 J9727A models in the same backplane stack?
Just to wrap up:
* 2920 backplane stack can be mixed with 2930M models
* 2920 backplane stack can NOT be mixed with 2930F models
Correct?
In that case, I need to ask them if they kept the receipt for the F models and swap them for M models :-)
Partially correct (first sentence's "can" should be changed into "can't"). So, to recap:
- Aruba 2920 (backplane stacked) can't be mixed with Aruba 2930M (backplane stacked, ring topology up to ten stack members) because of different Stacking Modules (with different performances) and different operating system software branches (WB versus WC).
- Aruba 2920 (backplane stacked) can't be mixed with Aruba 2930F (frontplane stacked, four stack members limited) because of different stacking approaches (backplane versus frontplane) and different operating system software branches (WB versus WC).
That means that any Aruba stacking technology deployment - backplane versus frontplane - you're going to consider (recap: VSF on Aruba 5400R zl2 and Aruba 2930F; Backplane on Aruba 2920, Aruba 2930M and 3810M) that particular stacking technology can't be mixed with a different one (VSF member into a Backplane stack and vice-versa) and it also can't be mixed in any combination with an equal stacking technology (VSF with another VSF or Backplane with another Backplane) that is simply using just different hardware Stacking Modules (case: Aruba 2930M versus Aruba 2920) or that uses same hardware Stacking Modules (case: Aruba 2930M versus Aruba 3810M) or, again, that uses different software branches (case: Aruba 5400R zl2 v3 working mode only KB versus Aruba 2930F WC).
In simpler words...once you deploy an Aruba stacking technology framework you're tied - actually - with that particular stack and you can't do mixes even if some adopted components - software or hardware - will let you think you could (the "hardware" case of Aruba 2930M and Aruba 3810M is the most evident, exactly as the "software" case between Aruba 5400R zl2 and Aruba 2930F).
I'm not an HPE Employee