Configuring Catalyst Switch Operations

Introducing Spanning Tree Protocol

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Outline
Overview Spanning Tree Protocol Spanning Tree Operation Root Bridge Selection Spanning Tree Port States Spanning Tree Path Costs Spanning Tree Recalculation Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol Summary

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Spanning Tree Protocol

Provides a loop-free redundant network topology by placing certain ports in the blocking state

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Spanning Tree Operation

One root bridge per network One root port per nonroot bridge One designated port per segment Nondesignated ports are unused

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Spanning Tree Protocol Root Bridge Selection

BPDU = Bridge Protocol Data Unit (default = sent every two seconds) Root bridge = bridge with the lowest bridge ID Bridge ID =

In this example, which switch has the lowest bridge ID?

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Spanning Tree Port States

Spanning tree transits each port through several different states:

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Spanning Tree Port States (Cont.)

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Spanning Tree Operation

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Spanning Tree Path Cost

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Spanning Tree Recalculation

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Spanning Tree Convergence

Convergence occurs when all the switch and bridge ports have transitioned to either the forwarding or the blocking state. When the network topology changes, switches and bridges must recompute STP, which disrupts user traffic.

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Rapid Spanning-Tree Protocol

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Rapid Transition to Forwarding

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Summary
STP is a bridge-to-bridge protocol used to maintain a loopfree network. To maintain a loop-free network topology , STP establishes a root bridge, a root port, and designated ports. With STP, the root bridge has the lowest BID, which is made up of the bridge priority and the MAC address.

When STP is enabled, every bridge in the network goes through the blocking state and the transitory states of listening and learning at power up. If properly configured, the ports then stabilize to the forwarding or blocking state.
If the network topology changes, STP maintains connectivity by transitioning some blocked ports to the forwarding state. RSTP significantly speeds the recalculation of the spanning tree when the network topology changes.
2004 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. ICND v2.21-14