Mstp Configuration; Overview; Introduction To Stp; Why Stp - HP 4800G Series Configuration Manual

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MSTP Configuration

When configuring MSTP, go to these sections for information you are interested in:

Introduction to RSTP

Introduction to MSTP

MSTP Configuration Task List

Configuring MSTP

Displaying and Maintaining MSTP

MSTP Configuration Example

As a Layer 2 management protocol, the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) eliminates Layer 2 loops by

selectively blocking redundant links in a network, and in the mean time, allows for link redundancy.

Like many other protocols, STP evolves as the network grows. The later versions of STP are the Rapid

Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) and the Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP). This chapter

describes the characteristics of STP, RSTP, and MSTP and the relationship among them.

Introduction to STP

STP was developed based on the 802.1d standard of IEEE to eliminate loops at the data link layer in a

local area network (LAN). Devices running this protocol detect loops in the network by exchanging

information with one another and eliminate loops by selectively blocking certain ports to prune the loop

structure into a loop-free tree structure. This avoids proliferation and infinite cycling of packets that

would occur in a loop network and prevents decreased performance of network devices caused by

duplicate packets received.

In the narrow sense, STP refers to IEEE 802.1d STP; in the broad sense, STP refers to the IEEE 802.1d

STP and various enhanced spanning tree protocols derived from that protocol.

STP uses bridge protocol data units (BPDUs), also known as configuration messages, as its protocol

STP-enabled network devices exchange BPDUs to establish a spanning tree. BPDUs contain sufficient

information for the network devices to complete spanning tree calculation.

In STP, BPDUs come in two types:

Configuration BPDUs, used for calculating a spanning tree and maintaining the spanning tree

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