Interlogix NS3550-8T-2S User Manual - Manual (Page 122)

User’s Manual of NS3550-8T-2S
122
established and duplicated links are blocked automatically. The reactivation of the blocked links (at the time of a primary link
failure) is also accomplished automatically without operator intervention.
This automatic network reconfiguration provides maximum uptime to network users. However, the concepts of the Spanning
Tree Algorithm and protocol are a complicated and complex subject and must be fully researched and understood. It is possible
to cause serious degradation of the performance of the network if the Spanning Tree is incorrectly configured. Please read the
following before making any changes from the default values.
The Switch STP performs the following functions:
 Creates a single spanning tree from any combination of switching or bridging elements.
 Creates multiple spanning trees – from any combination of ports contained within a single switch, in user specified
groups.
 Automatically reconfigures the spanning tree to compensate for the failure, addition, or removal of any element in
the tree.
 Reconfigures the spanning tree without operator intervention.
Bridge Protocol Data Units
For STP to arrive at a stable network topology, the following information is used:
 The unique switch identifier
 The path cost to the root associated with each switch port
 The port identifier
STP communicates between switches on the network using Bridge Protocol Data Units (BPDUs). Each BPDU contains the
following information:
 The unique identifier of the switch that the transmitting switch currently believes is the root switch
 The path cost to the root from the transmitting port
 The port identifier of the transmitting port
The switch sends BPDUs to communicate and construct the spanning-tree topology. All switches connected to the LAN on
which the packet is transmitted will receive the BPDU. BPDUs are not directly forwarded by the switch, but the receiving switch
uses the information in the frame to calculate a BPDU, and, if the topology changes, initiates a BPDU transmission.
The communication between switches via BPDUs results in the following:
 One switch is elected as the root switch
 The shortest distance to the root switch is calculated for each switch
 A designated switch is selected. This is the switch closest to the root switch through which packets will be forwarded
to the root.
 A port for each switch is selected. This is the port providing the best path from the switch to the root switch.
 Ports included in the STP are selected.
Creating a Stable STP Topology
It is to make the root port a fastest link. If all switches have STP enabled with default settings, the switch with the lowest MAC
address in the network will become the root switch. By increasing the priority (lowering the priority number) of the best switch,
STP can be forced to select the best switch as the root switch.
When STP is enabled using the default parameters, the path between source and destination stations in a switched network
might not be ideal. For instance, connecting higher-speed links to a port that has a higher number than the current root port can
cause a root-port change.
STP Port States
The BPDUs take some time to pass through a network. This propagation delay can result in topology changes where a port that
transitioned directly from a Blocking state to a Forwarding state could create temporary data loops. Ports must wait for new
network topology information to propagate throughout the network before starting to forward packets. They must also wait for
the packet lifetime to expire for BPDU packets that were forwarded based on the old topology. The forward delay timer is used to
allow the network topology to stabilize after a topology change. In addition, STP specifies a series of states a port must
transition through to further ensure that a stable network topology is created after a topology change.
Each port on a switch using STP exists is in one of the following five states:
 Blocking – the port is blocked from forwarding or receiving packets
 Listening – the port is waiting to receive BPDU packets that may tell the port to go back to the blocking state
 Learning – the port is adding addresses to its forwarding database, but not yet forwarding packets
 Forwarding – the port is forwarding packets
 Disabled – the port only responds to network management messages and must return to the blocking state first
A port transitions from one state to another as follows:
 From initialization (switch boot) to blocking
 From blocking to listening or to disabled
 From listening to learning or to disabled
 From learning to forwarding or to disabled
 From forwarding to disabled
 From disabled to blocking