6 S PANNING TREE PROTOCOL (STP)Using the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) functionality of the switch makesyour network more fault tolerant. The following sections explain moreabout STP and the STP features supported by the Switch 9100.STP is a part of the 802.1D bridge specification defined by the IEEEComputer Society. To explain STP in terms used by the 802.1Dspecification, the Switch 9100 will be referred to as a bridge.Overview of theSpanning TreeProtocolSTP is a bridge-based mechanism for providing fault tolerance onnetworks. STP allows you to implement parallel paths for network traffic,and ensure that:n Redundant paths are disabled when the main paths are operationaln Redundant paths are enabled if the main path failsCAUTION: You should not configure any STP parameters unless you haveconsiderable knowledge and experience with STP. The default STPparameters are adequate for most networks.Figure 13 shows a network containing three LAN segments separated bythree bridges. Using this configuration, each segment can communicatewith the others by using two paths.
