Cisco Systems 3750E manual Understanding Port Fast, Understanding Bpdu Guard, 20-2

Chapter 20 Configuring Optional Spanning-Tree Features

Understanding Optional Spanning-Tree Features

Understanding Port Fast

Port Fast immediately brings an interface configured as an access or trunk port to the forwarding state from a blocking state, bypassing the listening and learning states. You can use Port Fast on interfaces connected to a single workstation or server, as shown in Figure 20-1, to allow those devices to immediately connect to the network, rather than waiting for the spanning tree to converge.

Interfaces connected to a single workstation or server should not receive bridge protocol data units (BPDUs). An interface with Port Fast enabled goes through the normal cycle of spanning-tree status changes when the switch is restarted.

Note Because the purpose of Port Fast is to minimize the time interfaces must wait for spanning-tree to converge, it is effective only when used on interfaces connected to end stations. If you enable Port Fast on an interface connecting to another switch, you risk creating a spanning-tree loop.

You can enable this feature by using the spanning-tree portfast interface configuration or the spanning-tree portfast default global configuration command.

Figure 20-1 Port Fast-Enabled Interfaces

Server

Port

Fast-enabled

ports

Workstations Workstations

Port Fast-enabled port

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Understanding BPDU Guard

The BPDU guard feature can be globally enabled on the switch or can be enabled per port, but the feature operates with some differences.

At the global level, you enable BPDU guard on Port Fast-enabled ports by using the spanning-tree portfast bpduguard default global configuration command. Spanning tree shuts down ports that are in a Port Fast-operational state if any BPDU is received on them. In a valid configuration, Port Fast-enabled ports do not receive BPDUs. Receiving a BPDU on a Port Fast-enabled port means an invalid configuration, such as the connection of an unauthorized device, and the BPDU guard feature puts the port in the error-disabled state. When this happens, the switch shuts down the entire port on which the violation occurred.

To prevent the port from shutting down, you can use the errdisable detect cause bpduguard shutdown vlan global configuration command to shut down just the offending VLAN on the port where the violation occurred.

Catalyst 3750-E and 3560-E Switch Software Configuration Guide

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