NETGEAR M4300 managed switch series can be stacked with other M4300 switches. Please see below for some important points to note when configuring M4300 stacks
1. A stack can consist of a maximum of 8 x M4300 switches.
2. M4300 switches can only be stacked with other M4300 switches.
3. M4300 switches can be stacked using any of their 10G ports (copper or fiber) with the following limitations:
o M4300-28G, M4300-52G, M4300-28G-PoE+ & M4300-52G-PoE+ can have up to 4 x 10G ports per switch configured for stacking.
o M4300-8X8F, M4300-12X12F & M4300-24X24F can have up to 16 x 10G ports per switch configured for stacking.
4. The stack ports on an M4300 switch must be set to stack mode before the switch can be added to a stack. Note that the default mode for stack ports on an M4300 switch is ethernet mode.
5. Each M4300 in a stack must run the same firmware version.
How to build an M4300 stack using the web management interface:
1. Power on all M4300 switches with stacking cables disconnected.
2. Connect to the web management interface of the intended management unit and log-in.
3. Go to System - Stacking - Advanced - Stack-port Configuration.
4. Select the checkboxes beside the required stack ports (here we select ports 1/0/25 and 1/0/26).
5. In the Configured Stack Mode column, select Stack from the drop down menu:
6. Click Apply.
7. Go to Maintenance - Save Config - Save Configuration. Select the checkbox to save the configuration and click Apply.
8. Connect to the web management interface of the remaining switches and repeat steps 3 to 7.
9. Power off all M4300 switches.
10. Connect the stacking cables.
11. Power on the intended stack master. Wait until it boots (until the web management interface is available).
12. Power on the remaining units. When each unit is booted, it joins to the stack.
How to build an M4300 stack using the CLI:
1. Power on all M4300 switches with stacking cables disconnected.
2. Connect via console to the intended management unit and log-in.
3. Using the commands in red below, go to stack global config mode, set the required ports to stack mode (here we set ports 1/0/25 and 1/0/26) and save the configuration.
(M4300-52G-PoE+) >enable
(M4300-52G-PoE+) #configure
(M4300-52G-PoE+) (Config)#stack
(M4300-52G-PoE+) (Config-stack)#stack-port 1/0/25 stack
(M4300-52G-PoE+) (Config-stack)#stack-port 1/0/26 stack
(M4300-52G-PoE+) (Config-stack)#exit
(M4300-52G-PoE+) (Config)#exit
(M4300-52G-PoE+) #save
(M4300-52G-PoE+)#reload //remember to reboot the switch in order to activate the Stack function
4. Connect via console to each of the remaining switches and repeat step 3.
5. Power off all M4300 switches.
6. Connect the stacking cables.
7. Power on the intended stack master. Monitor through the console connection and wait for it to boot to the log-in prompt.
8. Power on the remaining units. When each unit is booted, it joins to the stack.