Nortel Networks 212777 Network Router User Manual


 
Web OS 10.0 Application Guide
Chapter 2: VLANs
51
212777-A, February 2002
Multiple Spanning Trees
Web OS 10.0 supports up to 16 instances of Spanning Trees or Spanning Tree groups. Each
VLAN can be placed on a unique Spanning Tree group per switch except for the default Span-
ning Tree group (STG 1). The default Spanning Tree group (1) can have more than one VLAN.
All other Spanning Tree groups (2-16) can have only one VLAN associated with it. Spanning
Tree can be enabled or disabled for each port. Multiple Spanning Trees can be enabled on
tagged or untagged ports.
NOTE By default, all newly created VLANs are members of Spanning Tree Group 1.
Why Do We Need Multiple Spanning Trees?
Figure 2-3 shows a simple example of why we need multiple Spanning Trees. Two VLANs,
VLAN 1 and VLAN 100 exist between Web switch A and Web switch B. If you have a single
Spanning Tree group, the switches see an apparent loop, and one VLAN may become blocked,
affecting connectivity, even though no actual loop exists.
If VLAN 1 and VLAN 100 belong to different Spanning Tree Groups, then the two instances
of Spanning Tree separate the topology without forming a loop. Both VLANs can forward
packets between the Web switches without losing connectivity.
Figure 2-3 Using Multiple Instances of Spanning Tree Protocol
Spanning Tree Group 1: VLAN 1
Spanning Tree Group 2: VLAN 100
VLAN 1
VLAN 100
Web Switch B
Web Switch A