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Catalyst StackWise Virtual
Design and implement StackWise Virtual on supported Cisco platforms, validating dual-active detection, link resilience and planned maintenance behaviour.
Devices supported
across the UK
Client locations
supported
Traffic handled
at peak time
Average
response time
Average response is not a resolution time or a contractual guarantee. Support scope and response commitments are agreed for each engagement.
Catalyst StackWise Virtual lets two supported Cisco switches work as one logical system. It differs from a standard switch stack. We check the links between the two units, their shared control functions and the devices attached to them. The design must fit both your failure plan and the way you will carry out maintenance.
Cisco-focused engineering
Design around the platform, traffic and failure behaviour you actually operate.
Change with evidence
Use pre-checks, acceptance criteria and a documented route back.
Operational handover
Keep the configuration, diagrams and responsibilities understandable after delivery.
Establish whether StackWise Virtual is appropriate
The main reason to consider StackWise Virtual is usually to simplify the logical topology while connecting critical access, distribution or core services to two physical switches. It can support multi-chassis link aggregation on eligible platforms. But it does not make the whole network immune to failures. The effect of a software defect, setup error or upstream incident must still be assessed.
We start by identifying the business apps and the network functions hosted on the proposed pair. These may include Layer 3 gateways, aggregation links, routing adjacencies and connections to security appliances. A design that is suitable for an office distribution layer may not suit a data-centre setup with different convergence or change-isolation needs.
Standards & partnerships
Confidence in the team behind your network.
Cisco Partner
Cisco Meraki
Cyber Essentials
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Confirm platform and feature support
StackWise Virtual support is platform- and release-dependent. We check the exact Catalyst hardware, supervisor setup where relevant, software version, interface needs and supported feature combinations against current Cisco documentation. We do not assume that a capability available on one Catalyst family applies to another.
Licensing, optics and the available high-speed ports also need attention. The inter-switch link consumes physical capacity that may otherwise have been allocated to network services. We review how many ports are required, their placement, the permitted link combinations and the operational consequences of losing one or more of those links.
A useful starting point
Not sure where to start?
Bring the requirement. We will help you define the engineering work.
Design the virtual link and dual-active detection
The StackWise Virtual Link carries essential communication between the two chassis. Its design should consider bandwidth, physical separation, cable paths and the supported redundancy arrangement. We document what happens if one link fails and what conditions could isolate the members.
Dual-active detection is a particularly important part of the design. If the switches lose the ability to coordinate, both must not continue forwarding in a way that creates conflicting active roles. We choose and check the supported detection mechanism for the specific platform and topology. A diagram that shows two switches and a connecting cable is not enough evidence of a safe high-availability design.
Different environments. The same care.
Built around the work
your network supports.
Finance, banking and the wider private sector. We start with the systems and people that depend on your connections.
Finance & banking
Market-data paths, routing and provider coordination on clients’ behalf.
Financial-market services ↗Offices & multi-site teams
Reliable access between people, workplaces and business applications.
Office network design ↗Data centres & cloud
Network boundaries, workload connections and operational ownership.
Data centre networks ↗Review downstream and upstream connectivity
Multi-chassis EtherChannel can simplify connections to compatible downstream devices, but its behaviour must be considered alongside spanning tree, routing and app traffic. We check the proposed port-channel membership, physical diversity and what a connected device does when one chassis becomes unavailable.
Upstream connections may use routed interfaces or other supported arrangements. We review routing adjacencies, gateway placement and the convergence behaviour expected during failover. Firewall clustering and internet-edge routing can introduce their own state and timing dependencies. The complete traffic path needs validation rather than assuming a switching failover guarantees app continuity.
Plan changes and software upgrades
A pair of physical switches operating as one logical system has a different maintenance model from two independent routed devices. Software upgrades, reloads and changes to the settings must follow the supported process for the platform and release. We review the maintenance window, expected traffic impact, backup needs and rollback limitations before making changes.
Where an in-service or reduced-impact upgrade method is supported, we still check the exact prerequisites. We avoid promising zero downtime simply because a feature is described as high availability. Applications with strict latency or session needs may notice even short forwarding changes, and customers should know what will be tested and what remains outside the scope.
Validate resilience with controlled tests
Acceptance tests should show the intended behaviour under agreed fault scenarios. These may include a failed uplink, a failed virtual-link member, loss of a chassis or an approved role-transition test. We record the observations, including routing reconvergence and app reachability where practical.
Not every failure test is appropriate on a production system. We agree which tests can be performed safely, which require a maintenance window and which risks need to be accepted based on lab evidence or vendor documentation. The resulting handover should state what has actually been checked, rather than presenting theoretical resilience as a proven result.
Operate and troubleshoot the system
Ongoing management should monitor the virtual system’s health, inter-switch links, role state and connected port channels. The operations team needs current diagrams, supported software records, backups of the settings and clear escalation steps. An incident involving split control-plane communication demands a different response from an ordinary failed access port.
MCI supports Cisco and Meraki networks across the UK, with a strong engineering presence in Kent and services covering London, Sussex, Essex, Berkshire and beyond. If you are assessing StackWise Virtual or troubleshooting a current rollout, we can review the topology, compatibility, risk to the live services and evidence needed for a controlled rollout.
Talk to a specialist
What does your network need next?
Tell us what you are planning, changing or trying to improve. We will help define a practical next step and the engineering scope.
+44 203 196 6566Choose option 1
sales@proxar.co.ukUK-wide service.
Most of our engineers are based in Kent, with a focus on London, Sussex, Essex and Berkshire.
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