Dell 28XX manual Spanning Tree Protocol Features

•Higher bandwidth connections

•Improved bandwidth granularity

•High bandwidth server connectivity

A LAG is composed of ports with the same speed set to full-duplex operation.

DHCP Server

Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol is a method of managing network parameter assignment from a single DHCP server. The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automates the assignment of IP addresses, subnet masks, default gateway, and other IP parameters.

BootP and DHCP Clients

DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) enables additional setup parameters to be received from a network server upon system startup. DHCP service is an on-going process. DHCP is an extension to BootP.

The BootP client is operational if there is a corrupted or invalid software image. The BootP client then continuously attempts to find a BootP server, by sending BootP requests to all ports on the default VLAN, until a BootP server replies. The information replied is then used to provide the switch system with a TFTP server IP address and a download file name. The switch can then configure these values to the TFTP client and try to download a valid runtime image.

Spanning Tree Protocol Features

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

802.1d Spanning tree is a standard Layer 2 switch requirement that allows bridges to automatically prevent and resolve L2 forwarding loops. Switches exchange configuration messages using specifically formatted frames and selectively enable and disable forwarding on ports.

Fast Link

STP can take up to 30-60 seconds to converge. During this time, STP detects possible loops, allowing time for status changes to propagate and for relevant devices to respond. 30-60 seconds is considered too long of a response time for many applications. The Fast Link option bypasses this delay, and can be used in network topologies where forwarding loops do not occur.

IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree

Spanning Tree can take 30-60 seconds for each host to decide whether its ports are actively forwarding traffic. Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP) detects uses of network topologies to enable faster convergence, without creating forwarding loops.

STP Root Guard

Root guard restricts the interface from functioning as the root port for the switch

Dell PowerConnect 28xx Systems User Guide

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