Spanning-Tree Operation 
802.1s Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) 
Syntax:  spanning-tree instance < 1..16 > priority < 0 .. 15 > 
This command sets the switch (bridge) priority for the desig- 
nated instance. This priority is compared with the priorities 
of other switches in the same instance to determine the root 
switch for the instance. The lower the priority value, the higher 
the priority. (If there is only one switch in the instance, then 
that switch is the root switch for the instance.)  The root bridge 
in a given instance provides the path to connected instances 
in other regions that share one or more of the same VLAN(s). 
(Traffic in VLANs assigned to a numbered STP instance in a 
given region moves to other regions through the root switch 
for that instance.) 
The priority range for an MSTP switch is 0-61440. However, 
this command specifies the instance priority as a multiplier 
(0 - 15 ) of 4096. That is, when you specify an instance pri-
ority value of 0 - 15, the actual priority assigned to the switch 
for the specified MST instance is: 
(instance-priority-value) x 4096 
For example, if you configure “5” as the priority for MST 
Instance 1 on a given MSTP switch, then the Switch Priority 
setting is 20, 480 for that instance in that switch. 
Note: If multiple switches in the same MST instance have the 
same priority setting, then the switch with the lowest MAC 
address becomes the root switch for that instance. 
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