reboot whole stack (MS-250) at once

[cerpicalos]

hello,

is there a way to reboot the whole stack at once? i checked under

switching - switch stacks, switching - switch ports as well as under Tools, but only found how to reboot a single switch and not the whole stack

in case only single switches can be reloaded: is there an order recommended which one to boot first? Members? Master? And is there a way to select several switches to reboot at once?

thank you.

[alemabrahao]

On physical stack, rebooting a stack member from dashboard using the "Reboot device" tool will reboot all the members in a stack. The same applies when performing a factory reset on a stack member. 

[Brash]

Adding to @alemabrahao's reply, it's specified in the switch stacking documentation

https://documentation.meraki.com/MS/Stacking/Switch_Stacks

[NolanHerring]

So that document only specifies that the MS390 models will have the entire stack reboot if you click on one and reboot it. The non-MS390 models (say MS250 etc.), from what I have gathered, if you reboot a single switch in a stack, it will only reboot that single switch and not the entire stack. This is based on historical experience (it's just been forever so I can't remember well now) but also a contact who would know confirmed. I also opened a TAC case to have support confirm as well.

So for now I believe you have to reboot each one manually in the stack, but I won't lie, that seems real lame.

[NolanHerring]

I just got confirmation from a Meraki TAC case that rebooting a switch in a switch stack will only reboot 'that' specific switch and not all of them in the stack.  If you want to reboot all the switches, we have to do them all individually. This lines up with my contact on the MS team feedback as well. This applies to all switches except the MS390.

[JacekJ]

Thanks for checking this out, I was very surprised by @alemabrahao saying that this applies to all MS switches since my experience was that I need to reboot all switches individually (not having MS390).

Too bad that there is no such option to reboot the entire stack though, one by one is a challenge if you want them to reboot ~at once.

[NolanHerring]

From what I hear, there is going to be an option to do this in the near future.

[cmr]

@JacekJ you can always apply a firmware update, that reboots them all at once 😉

[JacekJ]

@cmr good one 😂

[LUX-Merakifyer]

Hello.

in the docs talking about stacks (exception of MS390), nothing is mentionned about a specific order for reboot.

at the creation of the stack MERAKI just say to power-up all together, but nothing regarding a reboot.

this week for a test, I had to physically reboot (unplug power cables) a big stack of 6xMS250-48FP with double power-supply, and what I can tell you is the order may be but more the convergence time.

I tried first to re-power the first one on top of the rack, wait 30s and then plug the rest in the vertical order 2 to 6.

I thought it was ok when I saw on front view the 1st switch getting Fixed White LED, but few second after it became fixed orange like all others. I waited 3 minutes and nothing change the first one did not came back to fixed white.

So I decided to unplug and replug again but this time in a specific order. I powered-up the first switch, and after 30s the last switch of the stack. My idea was to define the ring in that way and force the 1st switch to become the Active 5master) one.

But this time I waited these two to be stable with the fixed white LED. and then only after I plugged switches 2, 3, 4, and 5.

it took a while for the 4 in the middle to become fixed white, but a least the first and the last remained stable white!

once all were white, I then plugged my second uplink part of a LAG I configured between the first and the last switches, to the core network (MS425-16).

everything looked fine, but I noticed a shift in the dashboard showing well all the switch but curiously with several ports on several switches, denying the power to connected devices (orange-brown port status); but after 2-3min it was fine.

Personnally I will continue to use this method for physical reboot, but it supposed to have 'middle switches' out of power for initial boot of first and last switch.

Remotly via the dashboard I would recommend to click one by one REBOOT from 1st switch to last one in the order.

hoping it can help you

[JacekJ]

A side comment from me, here:

"I thought it was ok when I saw on front view the 1st switch getting Fixed White LED, but few second after it became fixed orange like all others. I waited 3 minutes and nothing change the first one did not came back to fixed white."

you might have been hit by this known issue:

• Connecting a stacking cable to a stack that is online may result in a stack member going offline (present since MS 12)

A freshly booted device, that comes up is in my opinion a stacking cable connection, and I saw this behavior more than once - in a stack with more than 2 devices, rebooting one device or a replug of stacking cable might break things.

[LUX-Merakifyer]

good point Jace. indeed unfortunately this behavior is still present in version 16.7 I currently run as Stable Release.

However I just notice a 16.7.1 is available since end of 2023, and curiously in the same part of GeneralIssues chapter, this stack issue is not mentioned anymore.

Does it means it has been solved ? shall I upgrade to 16.7.1 ?

I also hope one day Meraki will introduce a RebootStack button to make it properly...

[JacekJ]

I don't know and Meraki doesn't know as well (I suppose that this has not been fixed):

https://community.meraki.com/t5/Switching/MS-16-7-1-Changelog-questions/m-p/223084