xStack
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DES-3528/DES-3552 Series Layer 2 Stackable Fast Ethernet Managed Switch User Manual
116
NOTE:
The BPDU Attack Protection commands and STP Function commands are mutually
exclusivly. Therefore, when the STP function is enabled on a particular port, BPDU Attack
Protection cannot be enabled. If BPDU Attack Protection function is enabled on a port,
BPDU can not be forwarded.
Spanning Tree
This Switch supports three versions of the Spanning Tree Protocol; 802.1D STP, 802.1w Rapid STP and MSTP.
802.1D STP will be familiar to most networking professionals. However, since 802.1w RSTP has been recently
introduced to D-Link managed Ethernet switches, a brief introduction to the technology is provided below followed by
a description of how to set up 802.1D STP and 802.1w RSTP.
802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree
The Switch implements two versions of the Spanning Tree Protocol, the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) as
defined by the IEEE 802.1w specification and a version compatible with the IEEE 802.1D STP. RSTP can operate
with legacy equipment implementing IEEE 802.1D, however the advantages of using RSTP will be lost.
The IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) evolved from the 802.1D STP standard. RSTP was
developed in order to overcome some limitations of STP that impede the function of some recent switching
innovations, in particular, certain Layer 3 functions that are increasingly handled by Ethernet switches. The basic
function and much of the terminology is the same as STP. Most of the settings configured for STP are also used for
RSTP. This section introduces some new Spanning Tree concepts and illustrates the main differences between the
two protocols.
Port Transition States
An essential difference between the three protocols is in the way ports transition to a forwarding state and in the way
this transition relates to the role of the port (forwarding or not forwarding) in the topology. RSTP combines the
transition states disabled, blocking and listening used in 802.1D and creates a single state Discarding. In either case,
ports do not forward packets. In the STP port transition states disabled, blocking or listening or in the RSTP port state
discarding, there is no functional difference, the port is not active in the network topology. Table 6-2 below compares
how the two protocols differ regarding the port state transition.
All three protocols calculate a stable topology in the same way. Every segment will have a single path to the root
bridge. All bridges listen for BPDU packets. However, BPDU packets are sent more frequently - with every Hello
packet. BPDU packets are sent even if a BPDU packet was not received. Therefore, each link between bridges is
sensitive to the status of the link. Ultimately this difference results in faster detection of failed links, and thus faster
topology adjustment. A drawback of 802.1D is this absence of immediate feedback from adjacent bridges.
802.1w RSTP
802.1D STP
Forwarding
Learning
Discarding
Disabled
No
No
Discarding
Blocking
No
No
Discarding
Listening
No
No
Learning
Learning
No
Yes
Forwarding
Forwarding
Yes
Yes
Table 7- 1. Comparing Port States
RSTP is capable of a more rapid transition to a forwarding state - it no longer relies on timer configurations - RSTP
compliant bridges are sensitive to feedback from other RSTP compliant bridge links. Ports do not need to wait for the
topology to stabilize before transitioning to a forwarding state. In order to allow this rapid transition, the protocol
introduces two new variables: the edge port and the point-to-point (P2P) port.
Summary of Contents for DES-3528 - xStack Switch - Stackable
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