A stacked switch using a resilient packet ring protocol comprises a plurality of switch modules coupled to one another in a ring topology and each having a plurality of external terminals for interfacing with external devices. Each switch module includes an external interface for communicating with the external terminals, the external interface configured to communicate using a communication protocol; and an internal interface for communicating with other switches, the internal interface using a resilient packet ring (RPR) protocol. Advantages of the invention include the ability to flexibly create a high performance stacked switch with advanced features.