Reference Guide

608 | Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)
www.dell.com | support.dell.com
Figure 32-1. MSTP with Three VLANs Mapped to Two Spanning Tree Instances
Dell Networking OS supports three other variations of Spanning Tree, as shown in Table 44.
Implementation Information
The Dell Networking OS MSTP implementation is based on IEEE 802.1Q-2003, and interoperates
only with bridges that also use this standard implementation.
MSTP is compatible with STP and RSTP.
Dell Networking OS supports only one MSTP region.
When you enable MSTP, all ports in Layer 2 mode participate in MSTP.
On the S5000, you can configure 64 MSTIs including the default instance 0 (CIST).
Configuring Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol
Configuring Multiple Spanning Tree is a four-step process:
1. Configure interfaces for Layer 2. See page 761.
2. Place the interfaces in VLANs.
3. Enable Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol. See page 609.
Table 32-1. Dell Networking OS Supported Spanning Tree Protocols
Dell Networking Term IEEE Specification
Spanning Tree Protocol 802.1d
Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol 802.1w
Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol 802.1s
Per-VLAN Spanning Tree Plus Third Party
R1
R2
R3
1/21
3/11
3/21
1/31
2/11
2/31
MSTI 1 root
MSTI 1: VLAN 100
MSTI 2: VLAN 200, VLAN 300 MSTI 2: VLAN 200, VLAN 300
MSTI 2 root
Forwarding
Blocking