HP 6400cl, Management Manual, Page: 177 / 664

Spanning-Tree Operation
Configuring Rapid Reconfiguration Spanning Tree (RSTP)
Configuring Rapid Reconfiguration
Spanning Tree (RSTP)
This section describes the operation of the IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree
Protocol (RSTP).
Overview
RSTP Feature Default Menu CLI Web
Viewing the RSTP/STP configuration
n/a
enable/disable RSTP/STP disabled
(RSTP is selected as the default protocol)
reconfiguring whole-switch values Protocol Version: RSTP
page 6-18 page 6-12 n/a
page 6-18 6-13 page 6-20
page 6-18 page 6-14 n/a
page 6-18 page 6-16 n/a
Force Version:
Switch Priority:
Hello Time:
Max Age:
Forward Delay:
Path Cost:
Priority:
Edge Port:
Point-to-point:
MCheck:
RSTP-operation
8
2 s
20 s
15 s
depends on port
type
8
Yes
Force-true
Yes
reconfiguring per-port values
As indicated in the manual, the spanning tree protocol is used to ensure that
only one active path at a time exists between any two end nodes in the network
in which your switch is installed. Multiple paths cause a loop in the network
over which broadcast and multicast messages are repeated continuously,
which floods the network with traffic creating a broadcast storm.
In networks where there is more than one physical path between any two
nodes, enabling spanning tree ensures a single active path between two such
nodes by selecting the one most efficient path and blocking the other redun­
dant paths. If a switch or bridge in the path becomes disables, spanning tree
activates the necessary blocked segments to create the next most efficient
path.
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