Cloud Stacking Enhancements in Nebula 18.30: Improved Port Configuration Retention

Zyxel_Claudia

Cloud stacking is a powerful feature in Nebula that allows network administrators to manage multiple switches as a single logical unit. However, previous versions of Nebula had a limitation: removing a switch from the stack erased all port settings for that switch, leading to frustration when replacing that slot.

With the Nebula 18.30 update, we've introduced port configuration retention, allowing admins to swap or remove stack members without losing port configurations.

Key Enhancements in Nebula 18.30 Cloud Stacking

1. Swapping a Switch in the Stack (Port Settings Are Retained)

Previously, replacing a non-master switch reset all port configurations, requiring users to manually reconfigure every port. Now, with Nebula 18.30:

• If the replacement switch is the same model, all port configurations will be retained automatically.
• A swap icon has been added in the UI, allowing users to swap a unit while keeping its configuration.
• A confirmation note will appear, ensuring that users understand their port settings will be kept if the model matches.

Example:If you replace an XGS2220-30HP with another XGS2220-30HP, all port configurations will be restored automatically.

2. Removing a Switch from the Stack (New Option to Retain Port Settings)

Now, when deleting a switch from the stack, users have an option to retain port settings.

• If enabled, the removed switch’s configuration is hidden but stored—ensuring seamless restoration if re-added later.
• If not enabled, all configurations will be erased permanently, as per the previous behavior.

3. How to Identify Retained Configurations in Nebula

When a switch is removed, the stack management page will display one of two statuses:

• Port settings retained: The model name remains visible in the list, indicating that Nebula has stored the switch’s port configurations.
• Port settings erased: The model is shown as N/A, meaning all settings have been deleted permanently.

Example:If a slot above or below the master still displays the model name, port configurations are retained and can be reapplied when a matching model is reintroduced.

4. Restoring a Previously Removed Switch to the Stack

If a switch slot was removed with port retention enabled, users can add a new switch to the same slot.

• If the same model is detected, a message confirms that "Retained port configurations will be applied."
• If a different model is added, a warning message appears: "Different model detected. Retained port configurations will be removed and reset to default."