Using switches with Bigleaf routers – Bigleaf Networks

As of January 2023, Bigleaf stopped providing Cisco switches for use in High Availability (HA) site deployments. We improved our architecture to no longer require Bigleaf-provided switches in our HA deployments and introduced the High Availability plan. If you are still using a Bigleaf-supplied Cisco switch in your HA deployments, we encourage you to remove it before October 2026.

Cisco is ending maintenance on Bigleaf-supplied switches

Cisco is in the process of no longer providing software maintenance releases or bug fixes to the following Bigleaf-supplied switch models, ending hardware support in 2027:

Cisco 2960X
Cisco SX550X

As part of Cisco’s end of support plans, Bigleaf will end our ongoing management and support for these switches in October 2026, including hardware replacements.

Converting to new HA

Contact Bigleaf Support to make a plan to convert your legacy switched HA deployment to the new Bigleaf HA deployment.

You cannot replace Bigleaf-supplied switches with your own using copied configurations. Bigleaf Support must convert your site to the new High Availability plan, which is incompatible with the original switch configurations.

Legacy HA Configuration using Bigleaf-supplied switches

When using Bigleaf-supplied Cisco switches in an HA environment, the switches are located between the Bigleaf routers, as shown in the diagram below. When removing the Cisco switches from your Bigleaf HA environment, you have three potential configuration options, depending on your needs.

New configuration options for Bigleaf HA

There are three different HA reference designs in the High Availability add-on plan, depending on your environment:

No switches – your ISPs support dual handoffs
Unmanaged switches – one or more of your ISPs do not support dual handoffs
Using switches to interconnect ISP connections and firewalls with the Bigleaf HA routers

Note: For #2, it can be any type of switch, but a simple unmanaged switch will suffice for individual ISP circuits.

For best practices and requirements for moving to a High Availability add-on without the legacy Bigleaf switched HA, refer to How do I upgrade to the High Availablity Add-On?

Please also be familiar with Troubleshooting Switching Loops with High Availability.

1. Your ISPs support dual handoffs (no switches required)

If your ISPs support dual handoffs, and you can directly connect the Bigleaf routers to your firewalls, then you don’t need a switch.

This is our recommendation. It is a simple topology that is more resilient with predictable failure modes.

2. Your ISPs don’t support dual handoffs

If one of your ISPs does not support dual handoffs, you can place a switch between your ISP handoff and the Bigleaf router to provide multiple WAN connections.

Note: you can use the same switch for multiple ISP's, but you must segment ISP traffic using VLAN's, especially if one or more of them are DHCP-only.

3. Using a switch to interconnect ISP connections and firewalls with the Bigleaf HA routers

This configuration incorporates switches to allow for:

If an ISP does not support dual handoffs, you can place a switch between your ISP handoff and the Bigleaf router to provide multiple WAN connections.
Port density for LAN-side devices. Refer to Redundant LAN Port Connectivity when using Bigleaf HA for further reading.
LAG connections for LAN-side devices. Bigleaf routers do not support LAG or LACP.
Switch(es) between the Bigleaf routers and your firewalls must have Spanning-tree enabled. Refer to Troubleshooting Switching Loops with High Availability

Note: you could use one switch, multiple switches, or a switch stack to meet requirements for additional port density and redundancy. The diagram shows a pair of switches interconnected.

Need Help?

If you have questions or need additional help with using Bigleaf in a High Availability environment, visit our Help Center.