Spantree

C H A PT ER 8

Configuring Spanning Tree
This chapter describes how to configure spanning tree on the Catalyst enterprise LAN switches.

Note For information on configuring the PortFast, UplinkFast, and BackboneFast spanning-tree
enhancements, see Chapter 9, “Configuring Spanning-Tree PortFast, UplinkFast, and
BackboneFast.”

Note For complete syntax and usage information for the commands used in this chapter, refer to
the Command Reference publication for your switch.

This chapter consists of these sections:
• Understanding How Spanning Tree Works, page 8-1
• Default Spanning-Tree Configuration, page 8-12
• Configuring Spanning-Tree, page 8-12

Understanding How Spanning Tree Works
These sections describe how spanning tree works:
• Spanning Tree Overview, page 8-2
• Election of the Root Switch, page 8-2
• Bridge Protocol Data Units, page 8-3
• Spanning-Tree Timers, page 8-3
• Creating the Spanning-Tree Topology, page 8-4
• STP Port States, page 8-4
• MAC Address Allocation, page 8-11
• Spanning Tree and IEEE 802.1Q Trunks, page 8-11
• Understanding How Spanning-Tree for Token Ring Works, page 8-11

Configuring Spanning Tree 8-1


Spanning Tree Overview
Spanning tree is a link management protocol that provides path redundancy while preventing
undesirable loops in the network. For a Layer 2 Ethernet or Token Ring network to function properly,
only one active path must exist between two stations. Spanning-tree operation is transparent to end
stations, which cannot detect whether they are connected to a single LAN segment or a switched
LAN of multiple segments.
The Catalyst enterprise LAN switches use the Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP, the IEEE 802.1D
bridge protocol) on all Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and Token Ring port-based
VLANs. By default, a single instance of STP runs on each configured VLAN (provided you do not
manually disable STP). Depending on your hardware, you can enable and disable STP on a
per-VLAN or a global basis.

Note On a Catalyst 5000 family switch with Supervisor Engine II G or III G, or Supervisor
Engine III or III F with a NetFlow Feature Card (NFFC) or NFFC II, you cannot enable or disable
STP on a per-VLAN basis. STP must be enabled or disabled for all VLANs on the switch using the
set spantree {enable | disable} all command.

When you create fault-tolerant internetworks, you must have a loop-free path between all nodes in
a network. The spanning-tree algorithm calculates the best loop-free path throughout a switched
network. Switches send and receive spanning-tree frames at regular intervals. The switches do not
forward these frames, but use the frames to construct a loop-free path.
Multiple active paths between stations cause loops in the network. If a loop exists in the network,
hosts might receive duplicate messages. In addition, switches might learn host Media Access
Control (MAC) addresses on multiple switch ports. These conditions result in an unstable network.
Spanning tree defines a tree with a root switch and a loop-free path from the root to all switches in
the extended Layer 2 network. STP forces redundant data paths into a standby (blocked) state. If a
network segment in the spanning tree fails and a redundant path exists, the spanning-tree algorithm
recalculates the spanning-tree topology and activates the standby path.

Election of the Root Switch
All switches in the Layer 2 network participating in spanning tree gather information about other
switches in the network through an exchange of data messages called Bridge Protocol Data Units
(BPDUs). This exchange of messages results in the following actions:
• The election of a unique root switch for each instance of spanning tree
• The election of a designated switch for every switched LAN segment
• The removal of loops in the switched network by blocking switch ports connected to redundant
links
The switch with the highest bridge priority (the lowest numerical priority value) is elected as the root
switch. If all switches are configured with the default priority (32768), the switch with the lowest
MAC address in the Layer 2 network becomes the root switch.
The spanning-tree root switch is the logical center of the spanning-tree topology in a switched
network. All paths that are not needed to reach the root switch from anywhere in the switched
network are placed in STP blocking mode.

8-2 Software Configuration Guide—Release 5.2


BPDUs contain information about the transmitting switch and its ports, including switch and port
MAC addresses, switch priority, port priority, and port cost. The STP uses this information to elect
the root switch and root port for the switched network, as well as the root port and designated port
for each switched segment.

Bridge Protocol Data Units
The stable active spanning-tree topology of a switched network is determined by the following:
• The unique bridge ID (MAC address) associated with each switch
• The path cost to the root associated with each switch port
• The port identifier (MAC address) associated with each switch port
The switch sends configuration BPDUs to communicate and compute the spanning-tree topology.
Each configuration BPDU contains the following minimal information:
• The unique bridge ID of the switch that the transmitting switch believes to be the root switch
• The cost of the path to the root from the transmitting port
• The identifier of the transmitting port
When a switch transmits a BPDU frame, all switches connected to the LAN on which the frame is
transmitted receive the BPDU. When a switch receives a BPDU, it does not forward the frame but
instead uses the information in the frame to calculate a BPDU, and, if the topology changes, initiate
a BPDU transmission.
A BPDU exchange results in the following:
• One switch is elected as the root switch.
• The shortest distance to the root switch is calculated for each switch.
• A designated switch is selected. This is the switch closest to the root switch through which frames
will be forwarded to the root.
• A root port for each switch is selected. This is the port providing the best path from the switch to
the root switch.
• Ports included in the spanning tree are selected.

Spanning-Tree Timers
Table 8-1 describes the spanning-tree timers that affect the entire spanning-tree performance.

Table 8-1 Spanning-Tree Timers

Variable Description
Hello timer Determines how often the switch broadcasts Hello messages to other switches.
Forward delay timer Determines the amount of time a port will remain in the listening and learning states
before entering the forwarding state.
Maximum age timer Determines the amount of time protocol information received on a port is stored by the
switch.



Creating the Spanning-Tree Topology
In Figure 8-1, Switch A is elected as the root switch because the bridge priority of all the switches
is set to the default (32768) and Switch A has the lowest MAC address. However, due to traffic
patterns, number of forwarding ports, or link types, Switch A might not be the ideal root switch. By
increasing the priority (lowering the numerical priority value) of the ideal switch so that it becomes
the root switch, you force an STP recalculation to form a new spanning-tree topology with the ideal
switch as the root.

Figure 8-1 Spanning-Tree Topology

DP
DP DP
A D
DP RP DP DP

RP RP DP

S5688
B C

RP = Root Port
DP = Designated Port

When the spanning-tree topology is calculated based on default parameters, the path between source
and destination stations in a switched network might not be ideal. For instance, connecting
higher-speed links to a port that has a higher number than the current root port can cause a root-port
change. The goal is to make the fastest link the root port.
For example, assume that port 2 on Switch B is a fiber-optic link, and that port 1 on Switch B (an
unshielded twisted-pair [UTP] link) is the root port. Network traffic might be more efficient over the
high-speed fiber-optic link. By changing the spanning-tree port priority or port cost for port 2 to a
higher priority (lower numerical value) than port 1, port 2 becomes the root port.

STP Port States
Propagation delays can occur when protocol information passes through a switched LAN. As a
result, topology changes can take place at different times and at different places in a switched
network. When a switch port transitions directly from nonparticipation in the spanning-tree topology
to the forwarding state, it can create temporary data loops. Ports must wait for new topology
information to propagate through the switched LAN before starting to forward frames. They must
allow the frame lifetime to expire for frames that have been forwarded using the old topology.
Each port on a switch using STP exists in one of the following five states:
• Blocking
• Listening
• Learning
• Forwarding
• Disabled



A port moves through these five states as follows:
• From initialization to blocking
• From blocking to listening or to disabled
• From listening to learning or to disabled
• From learning to forwarding or to disabled
• From forwarding to disabled
Figure 8-2 illustrates how a port moves through the five states.

Figure 8-2 STP Port States

Power-on
initialization

Blocking
state

Listening Disabled
state state

Learning
state

Forwarding
S5691

state

When you enable spanning tree, every switch in the network goes through the blocking state and the
transitory states of listening and learning at power up. If properly configured, each port stabilizes to
the forwarding or blocking state.
When the spanning-tree algorithm places a port in the forwarding state, the following process
occurs:
1 The port is put into the listening state while it waits for protocol information that suggests it
should go to the blocking state.
2 The port waits for the expiration of the forward delay timer, moves the port to the learning state,
and resets the forward delay timer.
3 In the learning state, the port continues to block frame forwarding as it learns station location
information for the forwarding database.
4 The port waits for the expiration of the forward delay timer and then moves the port to the
forwarding state, where both learning and forwarding are enabled.



Blocking State
A port in the blocking state does not participate in frame forwarding, as shown in Figure 8-3. After
initialization, a BPDU is sent to each port in the switch. A switch initially assumes it is the root until
it exchanges BPDUs with other switches. This exchange establishes which switch in the network is
the root. If there is only one switch in the network, no exchange occurs, the forward delay timer
expires, and the ports move to the listening state. A switch always enters the blocking state following
switch initialization.

Figure 8-3 Port 2 in Blocking State

Segment Forwarding
frames

Port 1

Network
Station
management
addresses BPDUs & data frames

Filtering System Frame
database module forwarding

BPDUs
Network
management
frames
Data
S5692

frames
Port 2

Blocking Segment
frames

A port in the blocking state performs as follows:
• Discards frames received from the attached segment.
• Discards frames switched from another port for forwarding.
• Does not incorporate station location into its address database. (There is no learning on a
blocking port, so there is no address database update.)
• Receives BPDUs and directs them to the system module.
• Does not transmit BPDUs received from the system module.
• Receives and responds to network management messages.



Listening State
The listening state is the ﬁrst transitional state a port enters after the blocking state. The port enters
this state when STP determines that the port should participate in frame forwarding. Figure 8-4
shows a port in the listening state.

Figure 8-4 Port 2 in Listening State

All segment Forwarding
frames

Port 1

Network
Station
management
addresses BPDUs and data frames


BPDUs
Network
management
frames
Data
frames S5693
Port 2

Listening All segment
frames

BPDU and network
management frames

A port in the listening state performs as follows:
• Does not incorporate station location into its address database. (There is no learning at this point,
so there is no address database update.)
• Processes BPDUs received from the system module.



Learning State
A port in the learning state prepares to participate in frame forwarding. The port enters the learning
state from the listening state. Figure 8-5 shows a port in the learning state.

Figure 8-5 Port 2 in Learning State

frames

Port 1

Network
Station
management


Station
addresses BPDUs Network
management
frames
Data
frames
S5694
Port 2

Learning All segment
frames

BPDU & network
management frames

A port in the learning state performs as follows:
• Incorporates station location into its address database.
• Receives, processes, and transmits BPDUs received from the system module.



Forwarding State
A port in the forwarding state forwards frames, as shown in Figure 8-6. The port enters the
forwarding state from the learning state.

Figure 8-6 Port 2 in Forwarding State

frames

Port 1

Network
Station
management


BPDUs Network
Station
addresses management
& data frames

S5695
Port 2

Forwarding All segment
frames

A port in the forwarding state performs as follows:
• Forwards frames received from the attached segment.
• Forwards frames switched from another port for forwarding.
• Incorporates station location information into its address database.
• Processes BPDUs received from the system module.



Disabled State
A port in the disabled state does not participate in frame forwarding or STP, as shown in Figure 8-7.
A port in the disabled state is virtually nonoperational.

Figure 8-7 Port 2 in Disabled State

frames

Port 1

Network
Station
management
addresses BPDUs and data frames


Network
management
frames
Data

S5696
frames
Port 2

Disabled All segment
frames

A disabled port performs as follows:
• Does not incorporate station location into its address database. (There is no learning, so there is
no address database update.)
• Receives BPDUs, but does not direct them to the system module.
• Does not receive BPDUs for transmission from the system module.



MAC Address Allocation
The supervisor engine has a pool of 1024 MAC addresses that are used as the bridge IDs for the
VLAN spanning trees. You can use the show module command to view the MAC address range for
the supervisor engine.
MAC addresses are allocated sequentially, with the first MAC address in the range assigned to
VLAN 1, the second MAC address in the range assigned to VLAN 2, and so forth. The last MAC
address in the range is assigned to the supervisor engine in-band (sc0) management interface.
For example, if the MAC address range for the supervisor engine is 00-e0-1e-9b-2e-00 to
00-e0-1e-9b-31-ff, the VLAN 1 bridge ID is 00-e0-1e-9b-2e-00, the VLAN 2 bridge ID is
00-e0-1e-9b-2e-01, the VLAN 3 bridge ID is 00-e0-1e-9b-2e-02, and so forth. The in-band (sc0)
interface MAC address is 00-e0-1e-9b-31-ff.

Spanning Tree and IEEE 802.1Q Trunks
IEEE 802.1Q VLAN trunks impose some limitations on the spanning-tree strategy for a network. In
a network of Cisco switches connected through 802.1Q trunks, the switches maintain one instance
of spanning tree for each VLAN allowed on the trunks. However, non-Cisco 802.1Q switches
maintain only one instance of spanning tree for all VLANs allowed on the trunks.
When you connect a Cisco switch to a non-Cisco device through an 802.1Q trunk, the Cisco switch
combines the spanning-tree instance of the 802.1Q native VLAN of the trunk with the spanning-tree
instance of the non-Cisco 802.1Q switch. However, all per-VLAN spanning tree information is
maintained by Cisco switches separated by a cloud of non-Cisco 802.1Q switches. The non-Cisco
802.1Q cloud separating the Cisco switches is treated as a single trunk link between the switches.

Note For more information on IEEE 802.1Q trunks, see Chapter 12, “Configuring VLAN Trunks
on Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet Ports.”

Understanding How Spanning-Tree for Token Ring Works
Token Ring runs spanning tree both at the Token Ring Concentrator Relay Function (TrCRF) level
and the Token Ring Bridge Relay Function (TrBRF) level. The TrCRF spanning tree removes loops
in the logical ring. The TrBRF spanning tree, like the Ethernet spanning tree, interacts with other
switches to remove loops from the spanning-tree topology.
The Catalyst 5000 family Token Ring modules support these STPs:
• IEEE 802.1D STP
• IBM STP
• Cisco STP
The Catalyst 5000 family switches use the IEEE 802.1D and IBM STPs on TrBRFs. The STP that
runs on the TrCRF is either the Cisco or IEEE STP, depending on the bridging mode you configured
for the TrCRF with the set vlan command.

Caution Certain TrBRF STP and TrCRF bridge mode configurations are incompatible and can
place the TrCRFs in a blocked state. For more information about these configurations, see the
“Setting the Spanning-Tree Port State” section on page 8-19.


Default Spanning-Tree Configuration

Default Spanning-Tree Configuration
Table 8-2 shows the default spanning-tree configuration.

Table 8-2 Spanning-Tree Default Configuration

Feature Default Value
Enable state Spanning tree enabled for all VLANs
Bridge priority 32768
Port priority 32 (global)
Port-VLAN priority Same as port priority but configurable on a per-VLAN basis
Port cost • Gigabit Ethernet: 4
• Fast Ethernet: 10
• FDDI/CDDI: 10
• Ethernet: 100
• Token Ring: 250
Port-VLAN cost Same as port cost but configurable on a per-VLAN basis
Hello time 2 seconds
Forward delay time 12 seconds
Maximum aging time 20 seconds

Configuring Spanning-Tree
These sections describe how to configure STP on any Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, and
Token Ring port-based VLANs:
• Enabling Spanning Tree, page 8-13
• Configuring the Root Switch, page 8-13
• Configuring a Secondary Root Switch, page 8-14
• Configuring the Global Port Priority, page 8-15
• Configuring the Port-VLAN Priority, page 8-15
• Configuring Global Port Cost, page 8-16
• Configuring Port-VLAN Cost, page 8-17
• Configuring the Bridge Priority, page 8-17
• Configuring the Hello Time, page 8-18
• Configuring the Forward-Delay Time, page 8-18
• Configuring the Maximum Aging Time, page 8-18
• Setting the STP Type for a TrBRF, page 8-19
• Setting the Spanning-Tree Port State, page 8-19
• Specifying the STP Functional Address for a TrBRF, page 8-20
• Disabling STP, page 8-20



Enabling Spanning Tree

Note Spanning tree is enabled by default on VLAN 1 and on all newly created VLANs.

Depending on your hardware, you can enable spanning tree on a per-VLAN or a global basis. In
either case, the switch maintains a separate instance of spanning tree for each VLAN (except on
VLANs on which you disable spanning tree).
On Catalyst 5000 family switches with Supervisor Engine II G or III G, or with Supervisor
Engine III or III F with NFFC or NFFC II, you must enable spanning tree globally for all VLANs
using the all keyword.
If you do not specify the vlans, VLAN 1 is assumed.
To enable spanning tree on a per-VLAN or global basis, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Enable spanning tree on a per-VLAN or set spantree enable [vlans]
global basis. set spantree enable all
Step 2 Verify that spanning tree is enabled. show spantree [vlan]

This example shows how to enable spanning tree globally for all VLANs on a Catalyst 5000 family
switch with Supervisor Engine III G:
Console> (enable) set spantree enable all
Spantree enabled.
Console> (enable)

This example shows how to enable spanning tree on VLAN 100:
Console> (enable) set spantree enable 100
Spantree 100 enabled.
Console> (enable)

Configuring the Root Switch
The Catalyst enterprise LAN switches maintain a separate instance of the spanning tree for each
active VLAN configured on the switch. A bridge ID (MAC address) and bridge priority are
associated with each instance of spanning tree. The switch with the lowest bridge priority becomes
the root switch for that instance of spanning tree.
When you configure a switch as the root, the spanning-tree bridge priority is modified from the
default value (32768) to a significantly lower value so that the switch becomes the root for the
specified VLANs.
The switch checks the bridge priority of the current root switches for each VLAN. The bridge
priority for the specified VLANs is set to 8192 if this value will cause the switch to become the root
for the specified VLANs.
If any root switch for the specified VLANs has a bridge priority lower than 8192, the switch sets the
bridge priority for the specified VLANs to 1 less than the lowest bridge priority.


Configuring Spanning-Tree

For example, if all switches in the network have the bridge priority for VLANs 100 through 200 set
to the default value of 32768, entering the set spantree root 100-200 command on a switch will set
the bridge priority for VLANs 100 through 200 to 8192, causing the switch to become the root
switch for those VLANs.
However, if the bridge priority for VLAN 150 on one of the other switches in the network is set
to 4000, entering the set spantree root 100-200 command on another switch will set the bridge
priority for VLANs 100 through 200 to 3999, again causing the switch to become the root switch for
those VLANs.
If reducing the bridge priority to 1 still does not make the switch the root switch for the specified
VLANs, the system displays a message.

Note The root switch for each instance of spanning tree should be a backbone or distribution
switch. Do not configure an access switch as the spanning-tree root.

Use the dia network_diameter keywords to specify the Layer 2 network diameter (that is, the
maximum number of bridge hops between any two hosts in the Layer 2 network). When you specify
the network diameter, the switch automatically picks an optimal Hello time, forward delay time, and
maximum age time for a network of that diameter, which can significantly reduce the spanning-tree
convergence time. You can use the hello hello_time keywords to override the automatically
calculated Hello time.

Note We recommend that you avoid configuring the Hello time, forward delay time, and maximum
age time manually after configuring the switch as the root.

To configure a switch as the root switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Configure a switch as the root switch. set spantree root vlans [dia network_diameter]
[hello hello_time]

This example shows how to configure the switch as the root switch for VLANs 1–10, with a network
diameter of 4:
Console> (enable) set spantree root 1-10 dia 4
VLANs 1-10 bridge priority set to 8192
VLANs 1-10 bridge max aging time set to 14 seconds.
VLANs 1-10 bridge hello time set to 2 seconds.
VLANs 1-10 bridge forward delay set to 9 seconds.
Switch is now the root switch for active VLANs 1-6.
Console> (enable)

Configuring a Secondary Root Switch
When you configure a switch as the secondary root, the spanning-tree bridge priority is modified
from the default value (32768) to 16384 so that the switch is likely to become the root for the
specified VLANs if the primary root switch fails (assuming the other switches in the network use the
default bridge priority of 32768).



You can run this command on more than one switch to configure multiple backup root switches. Use
the same network diameter and Hello time values as you used when configuring the primary root
switch.
To configure a switch as the secondary root switch, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Configure a switch as the secondary root switch. set spantree root secondary vlans [dia
network_diameter] [hello hello_time]

This example shows how to configure a switch as the secondary root switch for VLANs 22 and 24:
Console> (enable) set spantree root secondary 22,24 dia 5 hello 1
VLANs 22,24 bridge priority set to 16384.
VLANs 22,24 bridge max aging time set to 10 seconds.
VLANs 22,24 bridge hello time set to 1 second.
VLANs 22,24 bridge forward delay set to 7 seconds.
Console> (enable)

Configuring the Global Port Priority
You can change the global port priority of switch ports. The port with the lowest priority value
forwards frames for all VLANs. The possible priority range is 0 through 63. If all ports have the
same priority value, the port with the lowest port number forwards frames.
To change the global port priority for a port, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Change the global port priority for a set spantree portpri mod_num/port_num priority
switch port.
Step 2 Verify the port priority setting. show spantree [mod_num/port_num]

This example shows how to change the global port priority for a port and verify the configuration:
Console> (enable) set spantree portpri 1/2 20
Bridge port 1/2 port priority set to 20.
Console> (enable) show spantree 1/2
Port Vlan Port-State Cost Priority Fast-Start Group-method
--------- ---- ------------- ----- -------- ---------- ------------
1/2 1 blocking 19 20 disabled
1/2 100 forwarding 19 20 disabled
1/2 1003 not-connected 19 20 disabled
Console> (enable)

Configuring the Port-VLAN Priority
You can set the port priority for a port on a per-VLAN basis. The port with the lowest priority value
for a specific VLAN forwards frames for that VLAN. The possible priority range is 0 through 63. If
all ports have the same priority value for a particular VLAN, the port with the lowest port number
forwards frames for that VLAN. If you do not specify the vlan, VLAN 1 is assumed.



To change the port-VLAN priority for a port, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Change the port-VLAN priority for a set spantree portvlanpri mod_num/port_num
VLAN on a switch port. priority [vlans]
Step 2 Verify the port-VLAN priority setting. show spantree [mod_num/port_num]

This example shows how to change the port-VLAN priority on a port and verify the configuration:
Console> (enable) set spantree portvlanpri 1/2 1 100
Port 1/2 vlans 1-99,101-1004 using portpri 32.
Port 1/2 vlans 100 using portpri 1.
Port 1/2 vlans 1005 using portpri 4.
--------- ---- ------------- ----- -------- ---------- ------------
Console> (enable)

Configuring Global Port Cost
You can change the global port cost of switch ports. Ports with lower port costs are more likely to be
chosen to forward frames for all VLANs. Assign lower numbers to ports attached to faster media
(such as full-duplex Fast Ethernet) and higher numbers to ports attached to slower media (such as
half-duplex Ethernet). The possible range of cost is 1 to 65535.
To change the global port cost for a port, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Change the global port cost for a switch set spantree portcost mod_num/port_num cost
port.
Step 2 Verify the port cost setting. show spantree [mod_num/port_num]

This example shows how to change the global port cost on a port and verify the configuration:
Console> (enable) set spantree portcost 1/2 10
Spantree port 1/2 path cost set to 10.
--------- ---- ------------- ----- -------- ---------- ------------
Console> (enable)



Configuring Port-VLAN Cost
You can change the port cost for a port on a per-VLAN basis. Ports with lower port-VLAN costs are
more likely to be chosen to forward frames for those VLANs. You should assign lower numbers to
ports attached to faster media (such as full-duplex Fast Ethernet) and higher numbers to ports
attached to slower media (such as half-duplex Ethernet). The possible range of cost is 1 to 65535. If
you do not specify the vlan, VLAN 1 is assumed.
To change the port-VLAN cost for a port, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Change the port-VLAN cost for a VLAN set spantree portvlancost mod_num/port_num
on a switch port. cost cost [vlans]
Step 2 Verify the port-VLAN cost setting. show spantree [mod_num/port_num]

This example shows how to change the port-VLAN cost on a port and verify the configuration:
Console> (enable) set spantree portvlancost 1/2 cost 10 100
Port 1/2 VLANs 1-99,101-1005 have path cost 19.
Port 1/2 VLANs 100 have path cost 10.
--------- ---- ------------- ----- -------- ---------- ------------
Console> (enable)

Configuring the Bridge Priority
Use the set spantree priority command to manually change the spanning-tree bridge priority for a
VLAN. The possible range of bridge_priority is 0 to 65535. If you do not specify the vlan, VLAN 1
is assumed.

Note Exercise care using this command. For most situations, we recommend that you use the set
spantree root and set spantree root secondary commands to modify the bridge priority and related
parameters.

To configure the spanning-tree bridge priority for a VLAN, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Set the bridge priority for a VLAN. set spantree priority bridge_priority [vlan]
Step 2 Verify the configuration. show spantree [vlan]

This example shows how to change the spanning-tree bridge priority for VLAN 100 to 8192:
Console> (enable) set spantree priority 8192 100
Spantree 100 bridge priority set to 8192.
Console> (enable)



Configuring the Hello Time
Use the set spantree hello command to manually change the spanning-tree Hello time for a VLAN.
The possible range of interval is 1 to 10 seconds. If you do not specify the vlan, VLAN 1 is assumed.

spantree root and set spantree root secondary commands to modify the Hello time and related
parameters.

To configure the spanning-tree bridge Hello time for a VLAN, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Set the Hello time for a VLAN. set spantree hello interval [vlan]

This example shows how to change the spanning-tree Hello time for VLAN 100 to 7 seconds:
Console> (enable) set spantree hello 7 100
Spantree 100 hello time set to 7 seconds.
Console> (enable)

Configuring the Forward-Delay Time
Use the set spantree fwddelay command to manually change the spanning-tree forward delay time
for a VLAN. The possible range of delay is 4 to 30 seconds. If you do not specify the vlan, VLAN 1
is assumed.

spantree root and set spantree root secondary commands to modify the forward delay time and
related parameters.

To configure the spanning-tree forward delay time for a VLAN, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Set the forward delay time for a VLAN. set spantree fwddelay delay [vlan]

This example shows how to change the spanning-tree forward delay time for VLAN 100 to
21 seconds:
Console> (enable) set spantree fwddelay 21 100
Spantree 100 forward delay set to 21 seconds.
Console> (enable)

Configuring the Maximum Aging Time
Use the set spantree maxage command to manually change the spanning-tree maximum aging time
for a VLAN. The possible range of agingtime is 6 to 40 seconds. If you do not specify the vlan,
VLAN 1 is assumed.



spantree root and set spantree root secondary commands to modify the maximum aging time and
related parameters.

To configure the spanning-tree maximum aging time for a VLAN, perform this task in privileged
mode:

Task Command
Step 1 Set the maximum aging time for a VLAN. set spantree maxage agingtime [vlan]

This example shows how to change the spanning-tree maximum aging time for VLAN 100 to
36 seconds:
Console> (enable) set spantree maxage 36 100
Spantree 100 max aging time set to 36 seconds.
Console> (enable)

Setting the STP Type for a TrBRF
You can configure the STP type to be used by a TrBRF. Note that the following STP and bridge mode
configurations are incompatible and can place logical ports in a blocked state:
• TrBRF is running the IBM STP and the TrCRF is in SRT mode.
• TrBRF is running the IEEE STP and the TrCRF is in SRB mode.
For more information, see the “Setting the Spanning-Tree Port State” section on page 8-19.
To specify the STP type for a TrBRF, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Specify the STP type for a TrBRF. set vlan vlan_num stp {ieee | ibm}

This example shows how to specify the STP type for a TrBRF:
Console> (enable) set vlan 950 stp ieee
Vlan 950 configuration successful
Console> (enable)

Setting the Spanning-Tree Port State
When you enable STP, every switch in the network goes through the transitory listening and learning
states at power up. If properly configured, the logical ports then stabilize to the forwarding or
blocking state. However, with TrBRFs and TrCRFs, the following exceptions require you to
manually set the state of a logical port of a TrBRF:
• TrBRF is running the IBM STP and the TrCRF is in SRT mode.
• TrBRF is running the IEEE STP and the TrCRF is in SRB mode.

Note If one of these configurations occurs, the logical ports are put in a blocked state and no STP
is run.



You can use the set spantree portstate command to manually set the state of a logical port to
blocked or forwarding mode.
To set the state of a logical port manually, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Manually set the state of a logical port. set spantree portstate trcrf {auto | block |
forward} [trbrf]

Note If you disable spanning tree for a TrBRF using the set spantree disable command, the logical
ports of the TrBRF are placed in the forwarding state regardless of the state you conﬁgured using the
set spantree portstate command.

This example shows how to manually set the STP state of a logical port:
Console> (enable) set spantree portstate 950 forward
Portstate successfully set for tokenring crf 950
Console> (enable)

Specifying the STP Functional Address for a TrBRF
To conﬁgure a TrBRF running IEEE STP to use the bridge functional address instead of the IEEE
STP address, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Specify that a TrBRF running IEEE STP uses the set spantree multicast-address vlan_num ibm
bridge functional address instead of the IEEE STP
address.

Disabling STP
Depending on your hardware, you can disable spanning tree on a per-VLAN or a global basis.
On Catalyst 5000 family switches with Supervisor Engine II G or III G, or with Supervisor
Engine III or III F with NFFC or NFFC II, you must disable spanning tree globally for all VLANs
using the all keyword.

Note In a Token Ring environment, if you disable STP for a TrBRF, then all ports in TrCRFs with
that TrBRF as a parent are set to the forwarding state.

If you do not specify the vlans, VLAN 1 is assumed.
To disable spanning tree on a per-VLAN or global basis, perform this task in privileged mode:

Task Command
Disable spanning tree on a per-VLAN or global set spantree disable [vlans]
basis. set spantree disable all


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