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Cisco IE 2000 Switch Software Configuration Guide
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Configuring Resilient Ethernet Protocol

Finding Feature Information

Your software release may not support all the features documented in this chapter. For the latest feature
information and caveats, see the release notes for your platform and software release.
Use Cisco Feature Navigator to find information about platform support an d Cisco software image
support. To access Cisco Feature Navigator, go to http://www.cisco.com/go/cfn. An account on
Cisco.com is not required.

Prerequisites for REP

You can configure all of these features when your switch is running the Per VLAN Spanning- Tree Plus
(PVST+). You can configure only the noted features when your switch is running the Multipl e Spanning
Tree Protocol (MSTP) or the Rapid PVST+(RPVST+) protocol.

Restrictions for REP

You can configure the UplinkFast or the BackboneFast feature for Rapid PVST+ or for the MSTP, but
the feature remains disabled (inactive) until you change the spanning-tree mode to PVST+.

Information About Configuring REP

REP

Resilient Ethernet Protocol (REP) is a Cisco proprietary protocol that provides an alternative to
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) to control network loops, handle link failures, and improve convergence
time. REP controls a group of ports connected in a segment, ensures that the segment does not create any
bridging loops, and responds to link failures within the segment. REP provides a basis for constructing
more complex networks and supports VLAN load balancing.