Spanning-Tree Operation 
Configuring Rapid Reconfiguration Spanning Tree (RSTP) 
Configuring Rapid Reconfiguration 
Spanning Tree (RSTP) 
This section describes the operation of the IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree 
Protocol (RSTP). 
Overview 
RSTP Feature  Default  Menu  CLI  Web 
Viewing the RSTP/STP configuration  n/a 
enable/disable RSTP/STP  disabled 
(RSTP is selected as the default protocol) 
reconfiguring whole-switch values  Protocol Version:  RSTP 
page 6-18  page 6-12  n/a 
page 6-18  6-13  page 6-20 
page 6-18  page 6-14  n/a 
page 6-18  page 6-16  n/a 
Force Version: 
Switch Priority:  
Hello Time: 
Max Age: 
Forward Delay:  
Path Cost:  
Priority: 
Edge Port: 
Point-to-point:  
MCheck:  
RSTP-operation 
8 
2 s 
20 s 
15 s 
depends on port 
type 
8 
Yes 
Force-true 
Yes 
reconfiguring per-port values 
As indicated in the manual, the spanning tree protocol is used to ensure that 
only one active path at a time exists between any two end nodes in the network 
in which your switch is installed. Multiple paths cause a loop in the network 
over which broadcast and multicast messages are repeated continuously, 
which floods the network with traffic creating a broadcast storm. 
In networks where there is more than one physical path between any two 
nodes, enabling spanning tree ensures a single active path between two such 
nodes by selecting the one most efficient path and blocking the other redun-
dant paths. If a switch or bridge in the path becomes disables, spanning tree 
activates the necessary blocked segments to create the next most efficient 
path. 
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