9032579-03 Configuring & Monitoring The Switch 57
If the cosen path fails for any reason, a disabled alternative is activated,
thereby maintaining the connection. See Appendix B, “Spanning Tree
Concepts,” for further informatio n on u sing t he Spannin g Tr ee Prot ocol in
a network.
To configure Spanning Tree Parameters, do the following:
1. Select Switch Configuration Menu from the Main Menu.
2. Select Spanning Tree Configuration Menu.
3. Turn the switch Spanning Tree operation on or off by toggling the
Spanning Tree Protocol Enable option by pressing a.
4. Select Port Configuration.
The Spanning Tree Port Configuration Menu displays. Change the
parameters that display in this menu as required.
Configuring VLANs
A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a group of devices on one or mor e LANs th at are
configured such that they can communicate as if they were attached to
the same wire. Because VLANs a re based on logical instead of phys i cal
connections, they are extremely flexible.
The most fundamental benefit of VLAN t ec hn ology is the ability to create
workgroups based on function rather tha n on physical location or media.
For further information, see Appendix D, “Virtual LANs (VL ANs).”
To configure VLANs, do the following:
1. Select Switch Configuration Menu from the Main Menu.
2. Select VLAN Configuration Menu.
3. Turn the global switch VLAN o peration on or o ff by t oggling t he VLAN
Enable option by pressing a.
4. Select VLAN Menu.
The VLAN Menu displays. This menu displays the current
configuration of VLANs in the system.
5. To delete a current VLAN, select Delete, then enter the n umber of the
VLAN.
6. To configure a VLAN, select Configure and enter a VLAN n umber. A
new VLAN can be created this way.
The VLAN #n Configur ation Menu displays. From this menu, you can
configure VLAN names, add/dele te ports in a VLAN, and add/delete
egress ports for a VLAN.
Configuring Spanning Tree parameters from their
default can cause serious deterioration of network
performance.