Spanning Tree Variations
The Dell Networking operating system (OS) supports four variations of spanning tree, as shown in the
following table.
Table 42. Spanning Tree Variations
Dell Networking Term IEEE Specification
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) 802 .1d
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) 802 .1w
Multicast Source Discovery Protocol (MSDP) 802 .1s
Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+) Third Party
Implementation Information
The following describes the MSTP implementation information.
• The Dell Networking OS MSTP implementation is based on IEEE 802.1Q-2003 and interoperates only
with bridges that also use this standard implementation.
• MSTP is compatible with STP and RSTP.
• The Dell Networking OS supports only one MSTP region.
• When you enable MSTP, all ports in Layer 2 mode participate in MSTP.
• On the MXL switch, you can configure 64 MSTIs including the default instance 0 (CIST).
Configure Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol
Configuring multiple spanning tree is a four-step process.
1. Configure interfaces for Layer 2.
2. Place the interfaces in VLANs.
3. Enable the multiple spanning tree protocol.
4. Create multiple spanning tree instances and map VLANs to them.
Related Configuration Tasks
The following are the related configuration tasks for MSTP.
•Creating Multiple Spanning Tree Instances
•Influencing MSTP Root Selection
•Interoperate with Non-Dell Networking OS Bridges
•Enable BPDU Filtering Globally
•Modifying Global Parameters
588 Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)