NETGEAR 700 Series manual Advanced Spanning Tree Bridge Settings

700 Series Managed Switch User’s Guide for Software v2.1

Advanced> Spanning Tree

This switch is compliant with IEEE802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP). STP ensures that only one path at a time is active between any two network nodes. There maybe more than one physical path between any two nodes, forming a loop, either created for redundancy or by accident. STP ensures only one physical path is active and the others are blocked. If a loop is created for redundancy, STP will monitor the two paths and activate the stand-by path if the primary path fails. If a loop was created inadvertently, STP will disable one of the two paths. A loop in a network can disable your network by causing a “Broadcast storm”, the result of a broadcast message traveling through the loop again and again.

There are two sub-page of Spanning Tree configuration:

•Bridge Settings

•Port Settings

Advanced> Spanning Tree >Bridge Settings

Figure 5-34: Spanning Tree: Bridge Settings

When Spanning tree is used in conjunction with a set of aggregated ports, also known as a port trunking, Spanning Tree will treat the trunk as a single virtual port.

Spanning Tree can be enabled or disabled in this screen.

Enable: There are four other tunable parameters to be addressed when enabled.

Web-Based Management Interface 5-33

SM-10004-02