1-11 RRPP ConfigurationWhen configuring RRPP, go to these sections for information you are interested in:z RRPP Overviewz RRPP Configuration Task Listz Configuring Master Nodez Configuring Transit Nodez Configuring Edge Nodez Configuring Assistant Edge Nodez Configuring Ring Groupz Displaying and Maintaining RRPPz RRPP Typical Configuration Examplesz TroubleshootingRRPP OverviewThe Rapid Ring Protection Protocol (RRPP) is a link layer protocol designed for Ethernet rings. RRPPcan prevent broadcast storms caused by data loops when an Ethernet ring is healthy, and rapidlyrestore the communication paths between the nodes in the event that a link is disconnected on the ring.Compared with the IEEE spanning tree protocols, RRPP features the following:z Fast topology convergencez Convergence time independent of Ethernet ring sizeBackgroundMetropolitan area networks (MANs) and enterprise networks usually use the ring structure to improvereliability. However, services will be interrupted if any node in the ring network fails. A ring networkusually uses Resilient Packet Ring (RPR) or Ethernet rings. RPR is high in cost as it needs dedicatedhardware. Contrarily, the Ethernet ring technology is more mature and economical, so it is more andmore widely used in MANs and enterprise networks.Currently, both Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and RRPP can be used to eliminate Layer-2 loops. STP ismature; however, it takes several seconds to converge. RRPP is an Ethernet ring-specific data link layerprotocol, and converges faster than STP. Additionally, the convergence time of RRPP is independent ofthe number of nodes in the Ethernet ring, and therefore, RRPP can be applied to large-diameternetworks.
