Enhancements in Release F.04.08

Configuring Rapid Reconfiguration Spanning Tree (RSTP)

Configuring Rapid Reconfiguration Spanning Tree (RSTP)

This section is related to the information on “Spanning Tree Protocol” in your Series 2500 Switches Management and Configuration Guide (5969-2354), but it primarily describes the new information associated with the new Spanning Tree standard, IEEE 802.1w (RSTP), which is supported by the F.04.08 release of your switch software.

You are referred to the Management and Configuration Guide for general information on the operation of Spanning Tree and for information on the older version of Spanning Tree, IEEE 802.1D (STP), which the F.04.08 software continues to support.

Overview

RSTP Feature

Default

Menu

CLI

Web

 

 

 

 

 

Viewing the RSTP/STP configuration

--

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page 140

n/a

enable/disable RSTP/STP

disabled

page 146

page 141

page 147

(RSTP is selected as the default protocol)

 

 

 

 

reconfiguring whole-switch values

Protocol Version: RSTP

page 146

page 142

n/a

 

Force Version: RSTP-operation

 

 

 

 

Switch Priority: step 8

 

 

 

 

Hello Time: 2 seconds

 

 

 

 

Max Age: 20 seconds

 

 

 

 

Forward Delay: 15 seconds

 

 

 

reconfiguring per-port values

Path Cost: depends on port type

page 146

page 144

n/a

 

Priority: step 8

 

 

 

 

Edge Port: Yes

 

 

 

 

Point-to-point: Force-true

 

 

 

 

MCheck: Yes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As indicated in the manual, the Spanning Tree Protocol is used to ensure that only one active path at a time exists between any two end nodes in the network in which your switch is installed. Multiple paths cause a loop in the network over which broadcast and multicast messages are repeated continuously, which floods the network with traffic creating a broadcast storm.

In networks where there is more than one physical path between any two nodes, enabling Spanning Tree ensures a single active path between two such nodes by selecting the one most efficient path and blocking the other redundant paths. If a switch or bridge in the path becomes disabled, Spanning Tree activates the necessary blocked segments to create the next most efficient path.

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