Chapter 14: GVRP
Overview and Guidelines
The GARP VLAN Registration Protocol (GVRP) allows network devices to share VLAN information and to use the information to modify existing VLANs or create new VLANs, automatically. This makes it easier to manage VLANs that span more than one switch. Without GVRP, you have to manually configure your switches to ensure that the various parts of the VLANs can communicate with each other across the different switches. With GVRP, which is an application of the Generic Attribute Registration Protocol (GARP), this is done for you automatically.
Here are the guidelines for GVRP:
GVRP is supported with STP or RSTP or without spanning tree.
Both ports the constitute a network link between the switch and the other device must be running GVRP.
You cannot modify or delete dynamic GVRP VLANs.
You cannot remove dynamic GVRP ports from static or dynamic VLANs.
To be detected by GVRP, a VLAN must have at least one active node or have at least one port with a valid link to an end node. GVRP cannot detect a VLAN that does not have any active nodes or valid port links.
Resetting the switch erases all dynamic GVRP VLANs and dynamic GVRP port assignments. The dynamic assignments are relearned by the switch as PDUs arrive on the ports from other switches.
GVRP has three timers: join timer, leave timer, and leave all timer. The values for these timers must be identically configured on all switches running GVRP. Timers with different values on different switches can result in GVRP compatibility problems.
You can convert dynamic GVRP VLANs and dynamic GVRP port assignments to static VLANs and static port assignments.
The default port setting on the switch for GVRP is active, meaning that the ports participate in GVRP. Allied Telesis recommends disabling GVRP on those ports that are connected to
PDUs are transmitted from only those switch ports where GVRP is enabled.
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