Cisco StackWise-480 Stacking Cable 3m for Catalyst 9300 and 3850 Switches, Type 1, Halogen-Free

The Cisco STACK-T1-3M is a 3-metre StackWise-480/1T data stacking cable that connects the rear stack ports of Cisco Catalyst 9300, Catalyst 9300X and Catalyst 3850 switches, for network teams building or extending a switch stack that spans more than a few rack units.

Short 0.5 m and 1 m cables are fine for linking neighbouring switches, but the cable that runs from the bottom switch back to the top one to close the ring has to cover the full height of the stack. That return cable is where the 3 m version earns its place, and it is also the length to choose when stack members sit in two adjacent racks rather than one above the other. Because it is the same Type 1 cable Cisco lists for the Catalyst 3850, one spare on the shelf covers both the Catalyst 3850 stacks still in service and the new Catalyst 9300 stacks replacing them, which keeps spares simple during a phased migration across several wiring closets.

• 1 x Cisco StackWise-480/1T stacking cable, 3 m (STACK-T1-3M), with a Type 1 stack connector at each end

• Use it as the long return cable that closes the stack ring, so the stack keeps running if any single cable or switch drops out.
• A closed ring gives the stack its full stacking bandwidth; an open chain works but runs at half bandwidth and has no cable redundancy.
• Lets you split a stack across two neighbouring racks or leave space between switches for patch panels and cable managers.
• The connector is held in by captive screws: finger-tighten them with the Cisco logo facing up, and do not over-tighten.
• Cisco rates the stack cable for up to 200 insertions and removals, so reworking the stack during installation is not a concern.
• Coil any slack no tighter than about 182 mm in diameter to stay within Cisco's minimum coiled-diameter limit for the 3 m cable.
• Route the long return cable along the rear of the rack, away from fans and power supplies, and label both ends so nobody unplugs it by mistake during later maintenance.
• Before cabling, confirm every stack member runs a compatible software release; the cable connects the switches physically, but the stack only forms when the software allows it.

• Catalyst 9300L and 9300LM (fixed uplinks): they use StackWise-320 cables (STACK-T3 / STACK-T3A) with a C9300L stack adapter, not this cable.
• Catalyst 9200 / 9200L and Catalyst 2960-X series: different stacking systems and connectors.
• StackPower: this is a data stacking cable only; power stacking uses separate StackPower cables and ports.
• Mixing modular and fixed-uplink 9300 switches in one stack is not supported by Cisco, whichever cable you use.
• Higher-scale C9300-24UB, C9300-24UXB and C9300-48UB models only stack with other higher-scale models; the cable does not change that rule.