Planning the Virtual Chassis

Before installing EX4200 switches in a Virtual Chassis configuration, you must consider the following factors:

• The number of switches in the Virtual Chassis and location—You can interconnect two to ten EX4200 switches to form a Virtual Chassis. You can stack the switches in a single rack or install them on multiple racks. For information on the size and strength of racks, see Rack Requirements for EX4200 Switches. See Chassis Physical Specifications for EX4200 Switches for the dimensions and weights of the switch models.
• Cabling requirements for Virtual Chassis—You can interconnect the EX4200 switches in a Virtual Chassis configuration through Virtual Chassis ports (VCPs) using the 0.5 meter long VCP cable supplied in the package. Depending on the Virtual Chassis configurations you have, you might need cables of different lengths. If you need longer cables, you can purchase them separately. The maximum length allowed for a Virtual Chassis cable is 5 meters. To connect switches that are installed farther apart, you must configure the uplink module ports as Virtual Chassis ports and use them to interconnect the switches.

  Note: If you order Virtual Chassis cables separately, you must reuse the cable connector retainers provided with the original cable or order Virtual Chassis cable connector retainers also separately.

• Clearance on the rear of the switch—You must have access to the rear of the switch if you plan to interconnect switches to form a Virtual Chassis.
• Power supply—You must plan the installation site to meet the power requirements of the EX Series switches in a Virtual Chassis. The input power requirements vary depending on the number of Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports in a switch. See Power Supply in EX4200 Switches for the power requirements for the various configurations of PoE ports in EX4200 switches.