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Catalyst 2950 Desktop Switch Software Configuration Guide
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Chapter 13 Configuring Optional Spanning-Tree Features
Unders tanding Optional Spanning -Tree Features

How CSUF Works

CSUF ensures that one link in the stack is elected as the path to the root. As shown in Figure 13-5,
Switches A, B, and C are cascaded through the GigaStack GBIC to form a multidrop backbone, which
communicates control and data traffic across the switches at the access layer. The switches in the stack
use their st ack port s to communi cate wi th each other and to connec t to the stack ba ckbon e; stack ports
are always in the spanning-tree forwarding state. The stack-root port on Switch A provides the path to
the root of the span nin g tree; th e alter nate stack- root p orts o n Switche s B and C can p ro vi de an alte rnat e
path to the spanning-tree root if the current stack-root switch fails or if its link to the spanning-tree root
fails.
Link A , t he r oot lin k, is in the sp an ning- tre e for war ding sta te; L i nks B an d C a re a lter na te redund an t
links that are in the spanning-tree blocking state. If Switch A fails, i f its stack-root port fails, o r i f Link
A fails, CSUF selects either the Switch B or Switch C alternate stack-root port and puts it into the
forwarding stat e in less th an 1 second.
Figure 13-5 Cross-Stack UplinkFast Topology
CSUF uses the Stack Membership Discovery Protocol to build a neighbor list of stack members through
the receipt of discovery hello packets. When certain link loss or spanning-tree events occur (described
in Events T hat Cause Fast Convergence se ction on page 13-7), the Fast Upl ink Transition Prot ocol
uses the neighbor list to send fast-transition requests on the stack port to stack members.
Switch A
Spanning-
tree root
Backbone
Multidrop backbone
(GigaStack GBIC connections)
Stack port
49067
Switch B Stack port
Forward
Link A
(Root link) Link B
(Alternate
redundant
link)
Link C
(Alternate
redundant
link)
100 or 1000 Mbps 100 or 1000 Mbps 100 or 1000 Mbps
Forward
Forward
Switch C Stack port
Stack-root port Alternate stack-
root port Alternate stack-
root port