Installation guide

AT-8000 Series Fast Ethernet Switches Installation Guide
37
Spanning Tree
Protocol (STP)
The AT-8000 Series Fast Ethernet Switches are IEEE 802.1D standard-
compliant and support the spanning tree protocol. STP can be an
important part of large networks where loops exist in the network
topology.
A loop occurs when two or more nodes on your network can transmit
data to each other over more than one link. Network loops can seriously
impact network performance because packets can become caught in
repeating cycles, often referred to as broadcast storms, that needlessly
consume network bandwidth and reduce network performance.
STP addresses this problem by ensuring that there is only one path
between the end nodes. Where multiple paths exist, STP places the extra
paths in a redundant or standby mode, leaving only one main active
path. The redundant paths can be activated by STP if the main path goes
down. So not only does STP guard against multiple links between end
nodes, but it also activates backup redundant paths in case a main link
fails.
STP is disabled by default on the AT-8000 Series Fast Ethernet Switches.
Note
These Fast Ethernet Switches support only one STP domain. All
virtual LANs that you create will be members of that STP domain.