SMC Networks TigerSwitch manual Displaying Global Settings, 127

SPANNING TREE ALGORITHM CONFIGURATION

that can be used when a node or port fails, and retaining the forwarding database for ports insensitive to changes in the tree structure when reconfiguration occurs.

Displaying Global Settings

You can display a summary of the current bridge STA information that applies to the entire switch using the STA Information screen.

Field Attributes

•Spanning Tree State – Shows if the switch is enabled to participate in an STA-compliant network.

•Bridge ID – A unique identifier for this bridge, consisting of the bridge priority and MAC address (where the address is taken from the switch system).

•Max Age – The maximum time (in seconds) a device can wait without receiving a configuration message before attempting to reconfigure. All device ports (except for designated ports) should receive configuration messages at regular intervals. Any port that ages out STA information (provided in the last configuration message) becomes the designated port for the attached LAN. If it is a root port, a new root port is selected from among the device ports attached to the network. (References to “ports” in this section mean “interfaces,” which includes both ports and trunks.)

•Hello Time – Interval (in seconds) at which the root device transmits a configuration message.

•Forward Delay – The maximum time (in seconds) the root device will wait before changing states (i.e., discarding to learning to forwarding). This delay is required because every device must receive information about topology changes before it starts to forward frames. In addition, each port needs time to listen for conflicting information that would make it return to a discarding state; otherwise, temporary data loops might result.

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