Cisco Catalyst 9500 StackWise Virtual Configuration

Lab notes and configuration snippets for building a redundant core stack with two Cisco Catalyst 9500 40x 10G switches

Step-by-step guide to building and managing a StackWise Virtual pair using two Cisco Catalyst 9500-40X switches. Covers firmware upgrade, SVL configuration, Dual-Active Detection (DAD), and stack verification.

Features Covered

• Cisco IOS XE firmware upgrade via USB and stack-wide
• StackWise Virtual domain configuration
• SVL links on TenGigabitEthernet1/0/39-40 (10G SFP+ uplinks)
• Dual-Active Detection (DAD) on TenGigabitEthernet1/0/38
• Stack verification and troubleshooting

Hardware Requirements

• 2x Cisco Catalyst 9500-40X switches (same model and IOS XE version)
• 3x 10G SFP+ links (2x SVL + 1x DAD): fiber SR/LR or DAC cables
• Network Advantage license on both switches

Full Tutorial

See the complete step-by-step guide: Tutorial