Dell PowerConnect 7048P User Manual - Page 70

Spanning Tree Protocol Features For information about configuring Spanning Tree Protocol features, see "Configuring the Spanning Tree Protocol" on page 629. Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) Spanning Tree Protocol (IEEE 802.1D) is a standard requirement of Layer 2 switches that allows bridges to automatically prevent and resolve L2 forwarding loops. Spanning Tree Port Settings The STP feature supports a variety of per-port settings including path cost, priority settings, Port Fast mode, STP Root Guard, Loop Guard, TCN Guard, and Auto Edge. These settings are also configurable per-LAG. Rapid Spanning Tree Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) detects and uses network topologies to enable faster spanning tree convergence after a topology change, without creating forwarding loops. The port settings supported by STP are also supported by RSTP. Multiple Spanning Tree Multiple Spanning Tree (MSTP) operation maps VLANs to spanning tree instances. Packets assigned to various VLANs are transmitted along different paths within MSTP Regions (MST Regions). Regions are one or more interconnected MSTP bridges with identical MSTP settings. The MSTP standard lets administrators assign VLAN traffic to unique paths. The switch supports IEEE 802.1Q-2005, which is a version of corrects problems associated with the previous version, provides for faster transitionto-forwarding, and incorporates new features for a port (restricted role and restricted TCN). 70 Switch Features