Extreme Networks Summit1 manual Load Sharing, Spanning Tree Protocol STP

SUMMIT OVERVIEW

LOAD SHARING

Load sharing with Summit switches allows the user to increase bandwidth and resilience between switches by using a group of ports to carry traffic in parallel between switches. The sharing algorithm allows the switch to use multiple ports as a single logical port. For example, VLANs see the load-sharing group as a single virtual port. The algorithm also guarantees packet sequencing between clients.

For information on load sharing, refer to Chapter 4.

VIRTUAL LANS (VLANS)

The Summit has a VLAN feature that enables you to construct your broadcast domains without being restricted by physical connections. Up to 255 VLANs can be defined on the Summit. A VLAN is a group of location- and topology-independent devices that communicate as if they were on the same physical local area network (LAN). Implementing VLANs on your network has the following three advantages:

•It helps to control broadcast traffic. If a device in VLAN marketing transmits a broadcast frame, only VLAN marketing devices receive the frame.

•It provides extra security. Devices in VLAN marketing can only communicate with devices on VLAN sales using a device that provides routing services.

•It eases the change and movement of devices on networks. If a device in VLAN marketing is moved to a port in another part of the network, all you must do is specify that the new port belongs to VLAN marketing.

For more information on VLANs, refer to Chapter 5.

SPANNING TREE PROTOCOL (STP)

The Summit supports the IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), which is a bridge-based mechanism for providing fault tolerance on networks. STP enables you to implement parallel paths for network traffic, and ensure the following:

•Redundant paths are disabled when the main paths are operational.

•Redundant paths are enabled if the main traffic paths fail.

1-6 SUMMIT SWITCH INSTALLATION AND USER GUIDE