Spanning Tree Protocol; Overview - Avaya W310 User Manual

Chapter 11 W310 WLAN Gateway Layer 2 Features
In order to...
Set the max-req per port (the maximal
number of times the port
tries to retransmit requests to the
Authenticated Station before the
session is terminated)

Spanning Tree Protocol

Overview

W310 devices support both common Spanning Tree protocol (802.1d) and the enhanced
Rapid Spanning Tree protocol (802.1w). The 802.1w is a faster and more sophisticated
version of the 802.1d (STP) standard. Spanning Tree makes it possible to recover
connectivity after an outage within a minute or so. RSTP, with its "rapid" algorithm, can
restore connectivity to a network where a backbone link has failed in much less time.
In order to configure the switch to either common Spanning Tree or Rapid Spanning Tree
protocol, use the
• set spantree version CLI command or
• the Device Information dialog in the W310 Manager (Web interface).
Spanning Tree Protocol
The Spanning Tree algorithm ensures the existence of a loop-free topology in networks that
contain parallel bridges. A loop occurs when there are alternate routes between hosts. If there
is a loop in an extended network, bridges may forward traffic indefinitely, which can result
in increased traffic and degradation in network performance.
The Spanning Tree Algorithm:
• Produces a logical tree topology out of any arrangement of bridges. The result is a single
path between any two end stations on an extended network.
• Provides a high degree of fault tolerance. It allows the network to automatically
reconfigure the spanning tree topology if there is a bridge or data-path failure.
The Spanning Tree Algorithm requires five values to derive the spanning tree topology.
These are:
1 A multicast address specifying all bridges on the extended network. This address is
media-dependent and is automatically determined by the software.
2 A network-unique identifier for each bridge on the extended network.
3 A unique identifier for each bridge/LAN interface (a port).
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Use the following command...
set port dot1x max-req
Avaya W310 User's Guide