User`s guide

8 - 2 Ethernet or Token Ring Bridge
Overview
STP is used to remove loops from a bridged LAN environment.
The Ethernet or Token Ring Bridge implements the IEEE 802.1d
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) speciÞcation to manage multiple Bridges
in an extended LAN environment. This allows the Ethernet or Token
Ring Bridge to be used in bridged infrastructures with other 802.1d
compliant Bridges. The protocol also allows the Bridges in an arbitrarily
connected infrastructure to discover a topology that is loop free (a tree)
and make sure there is a path between every pair of LANs (a spanning
tree).
If you are administering a multiple-bridge infrastructure, this Chapter
explains how the protocol works. However, if your infrastructure con-
sists of a single Bridge you can operate with the default values, although
it might not be the optimal conÞguration required.