Dell PowerConnect 5424 User Manual page 315

RSTP has the following different port states:
• Disabled
• Learning
• Discarding
• Forwarding
Rapid Spanning Tree is enabled on the STP Global Settings page. To open the Rapid Spanning Tree
(RSTP) page, click Switch→ Spanning Tree→ Rapid Spanning Tree in the tree view.
Figure 7-35. Rapid Spanning Tree (RSTP)
• Interface — Port or LAG on which Rapid STP is enabled.
• Role — The port role assigned by the STP algorithm in order to provide to STP paths. The possible
field values are:
– Root — Provides the lowest cost path to forward packets to root device.
– Designated — The port or LAG via which the designated device is attached to the LAN.
– Alternate — Provides an alternate path to the root device from the root interface.
– Backup — Provides a backup path to the designated port path toward the Spanning Tree leaves.
Backup ports occur only when two ports are connected in a loop. Backup ports also occur when a
LAN has two or more connections connected to a shared segment.
– Disabled — The port is not participating in the Spanning Tree (the port's link is down).
Configuring Device Information
315