Figure 7-24: Spanning Tree: Port Settings; Table 7-1. Stp Port Setting Parameters - NETGEAR FSM726S Installation Manual

Advanced> Spanning Tree > Port Settings
For the Port Settings options, you can specify Spanning Tree parameters for each port. The Spanning Tree parameters include port priority, path
cost, and Fastlink.

Table 7-1. STP Port Setting Parameters

Parameters
Prty (Priority)
Cost
Fastlink in STP mode
When a port running the standard STP is connected, it will go through the STP negotiation (listening -> learning -> forwarding or blocking) before it
will be fully available. If a client is trying to access a server through the switch running the STP negotiation, it will not be able to connect to it
immediately. This can be a problem for some networks. Fastlink mode solves this problem by setting the port directly to forwarding mode, thus
allowing any server access request to be forwarded. Fastlink mode can cause temporary loops in your network, but the STP will eliminate them.
Fastlink is best used on end node ports, i.e. ports connected to PCs or servers, to avoid network loops.
Range Description
0-255 STP bases on this to determine the port to use for forwarding. The port with the lowest number
has the highest priority.
1-65535 The switch uses this to determine which port is the forwarding port. All other factors equal, the
path with the lowest cost to the root bridge will be the active path.

Figure 7-24: Spanning Tree: Port Settings

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