D-Link DES-3250TG User Manual - 802.1W Rapid Spanning Tree

D-Link DES-3250TG Standalone Layer 2 Switch

802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree 

The Switch implements two versions of the Spanning Tree Protocol, the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) as defined by 

the IEEE 802.1w specification and a version compatible with the IEEE 802.1d STP. RSTP can operate with legacy equipment 

implementing IEEE 802.1d, however the advantages of using RSTP will be lost.   

The IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) evolved from the 802.1d STP standard. RSTP was developed in 

order to overcome some limitations of STP that impede the function of some recent switching innovations, in particular, certain 

Layer 3 function that are increasingly handled by Ethernet switches. The basic function and much of the terminology is the 

same as STP. Most of the settings configured for STP are also used for RSTP. This section introduces some new Spanning 

Tree concepts and illustrates the main differences between the two protocols.  

Port Transition States 

An essential difference between the two protocols is in the way ports transition to a forwarding state and the in the way this 

transition relates to the role of the port (forwarding or not forwarding) in the topology. RSTP combines the transition states 

disabled, blocking, and listening used in 802.1d and creates a single state: discarding. In either case, ports do not forward 

packets; in the STP port transition states disabled, blocking, or listening, or in the RSTP port state discarding, there is no 

functional difference, the port is not active in the network topology. Table 5-1 below compares how the two protocols differ 

regarding the port state transition. 

802.1d STP 

802.1w RSTP 

Forwarding 

Learning 

Disabled Discarding 

No 

No 

Blocking Discarding 

No 

No 

Listening Discarding 

No 

No 

Learning Learning 

No 

Yes 

Forwarding Forwarding 

Yes 

Yes 

RSTP is capable of more rapid transition to a forwarding state – it no longer relies on timer configurations – RSTP-compliant 

bridges are sensitive to feedback from other RSTP-compliant bridge links. Ports do not need to wait for the topology to 

stabilize before transitioning to a forwarding state. In order to allow this rapid transition, the protocol introduces two new 

variables: the edge port and the point-to-point (P2P) port. 

Edge Port 

The edge port is a configurable designation used for a port that is directly connected to a segment where a loop cannot be 

created. An example would be a port connected directly to a single workstation. Ports that are designated as edge ports, 

transition to a forwarding state immediately without going through the listening and learning states. An edge port loses its 

status if it receives a BPDU packet, immediately becoming a normal spanning tree port. 

P2P Port 

A P2P port is also capable of rapid transition. P2P ports may be used to connect to other bridges. Under RSTP, all ports 

operating in full-duplex mode are considered to be P2P ports, unless manually overridden through configuration. 

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