Planning the J-EX4200 and J-EX4500 Virtual ChassisBefore installing J-EX4200 switches and J-EX4500 switches in a Virtual Chassisconfiguration, you must consider the following factors:• Number and Location of Switches in the Virtual Chassis. You can interconnect twoto ten switches to form a Virtual Chassis composed exclusively of J-EX4200 switches.Only two J-EX4500 switches can be interconnected into a Virtual Chassis composedexclusively of J-EX4500 switches.J-EX4200 switches and J-EX4500 switches can be connected together into the sameVirtual Chassis to form a mixed J-EX4200 and J-EX4500 Virtual Chassis. A mixedVirtual Chassis supports up to two J-EX4500 switches and up to eight J-EX4200switches.You can mount the switches in a single rack or install them on multiple racks. Forinformation on the size and strength of racks for a J-EX4200 switch, see “RackRequirements for J-EX4200 Switches” on page 63. See “Chassis Physical Specificationsfor J-EX4200 Switches” on page 5 for the dimensions and weights of the switchmodels. For information on the size and strength of racks for J-EX4500 switches andchassis weights and dimensions, see the Dell PowerConnect J-Series J-EX4500 EthernetSwitch Hardware Guide at http://www.support.dell.com/manuals.• Cabling Requirements for Virtual Chassis.You can interconnect the J-EX4200 switchesin a Virtual Chassis configuration through Virtual Chassis ports (VCPs) using the0.5-meter-long Virtual Chassis cable. The Virtual Chassis cable is supplied with aJ-EX4200 switch but must be ordered separately for a J-EX4500 switch..Depending on the Virtual Chassis configurations you have, you might need cables ofdifferent lengths. If you need cables longer than 0.5 meter, you can purchase themseparately. The longest Virtual Chassis cable is 5 meters.To interconnect J-EX4200 switches that are installed farther apart, you must configurethe uplink module ports as Virtual Chassis ports and use them to interconnect theswitches.To interconnect J-EX4500 switches that are installed farther apart, you must configureeither the uplink module ports or the SFP+ network ports as Virtual Chassis ports anduse them to interconnect the switches.NOTE: If you order Virtual Chassis cables separately, you must reuse thecable connector retainers provided with the original cable or order VirtualChassis cable connector retainers separately.• Rear Clearance. You must have access to the rear of the switch if you plan tointerconnect switches to form a Virtual Chassis.• Power Supply. You must plan the installation site to meet the power requirements ofthe J-EX Series switches in a Virtual Chassis. The input power requirements varydepending on the number of Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports in a switch. See “Power76Dell PowerConnect J-Series J-EX4200 Ethernet Switch Hardware Guide
