H3C Technologies H3C S12500 Series Switches - Manual (Page 115)

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Configuring Smart Link
Smart Link overview
Background
To avoid single-point failures and guarantee network reliability, downstream devices are usually
dual-homed to upstream devices, as shown in Figure 23 .
Figure 23 Diagram for a dual uplink network
To remove network loops on a dual-homed network, you can use a spanning tree protocol or the Rapid
Ring Protection Protocol (RRPP). The problem with STP, however, is that STP convergence time is long,
which makes it not suitable for users who have high demand on convergence speed. RRPP can meet
users' demand on convergence speed, but it involves complicated networking and configurations and
therefore is mainly used in ring-shaped networks.
For more information about STP and RRPP, see Layer 2—LAN Switching Configuration Guide and
"Configuring RRPP."Smart Link is a feature developed to address the slow convergence issue with STP. It
provides link redundancy as well as fast convergence in a dual uplink network, allowing the backup link
to take over quickly when the primary link fails. To sum up, Smart Link delivers the following benefits:
• Dedicated to dual uplink networks