Nortel 8300

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300
Configuration VLANs,
Spanning Tree, and Static
Link Aggregation using Device
Manager
NN46200-510
.
Downloaded from www.Manualslib.com manuals search engine
(317348-E Rev 01)
Document status: Standard

Document version: 03.01
Document date: 27 August 2007
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Contents
New in this release
Features 11
Other changes
11
11
Preface
13
Before you begin 13

How to get help 14
Getting help from the Nortel web site 14
Getting help over the phone from a Nortel Solutions Center 14
Getting help from a specialist using an Express Routing Code 15
Getting help through a Nortel distributor or reseller 15
VLANs, Spanning Tree, and Static Link Aggregation

VLANs 17
VLAN ports 18
Port-based VLANs 18
Policy-based VLANs 19
Protocol-based VLANs 20
Independent VLAN Learning (IVL) 22
VLAN tagging and port types 22
VLAN router interfaces 24
VLAN implementation 24
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) 26
Spanning tree groups 26
Spanning Tree modes 28
Spanning Tree FastStart 28
Understanding STGs and VLANs 28
Spanning Tree Protocol topology change detection
Static link aggregation 29
Link aggregation traffic distribution 30
Link aggregation rules 30
Link aggregation examples 31
Split MultiLink Trunking 34
Overview 35
Advantages of SMLT 36
29

Configuration VLANs, Spanning Tree, and Static Link Aggregation using Device Manager
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17
6 Contents
How SMLT works 38
Inter-Switch Trunks 40
CP-Limit and SMLT IST 41
Traffic flow in an SMLT environment 42
Single port SMLT 44
SMLT topologies 45
Using MLT-based SMLT with single port SMLT 49
SMLT network design considerations 50
SMLT and VRRP backup master 51
Simple Loop Prevention Protocol 52
Port auto recovery 54
VLAN, STG, and link aggregation feature support 55
Configuring VLANs
57
Understanding VLAN ports 57

Displaying defined VLANs 58
Creating a VLAN 60
Creating a port-based VLAN 61
Configuring an IP address for a VLAN 62
Creating a protocol-based VLAN 63
Configuring user-defined protocol-based VLANs 66
Managing a VLAN 68
Changing VLAN port membership 68
Configuring advanced VLAN features 69
Configuring a MAC address for auto-learning on a VLAN 73
Managing the VLAN forwarding database 76
Configuring aging in the VLAN forwarding database 76
Configuring static forwarding 80
Configuring VLAN forwarding database filters 83
Configuring Layer 2 multicast MAC filtering 85
Configuring port auto recovery 87
Configuring auto recovery delay time 87
Enabling or disabling port auto recovery for a single port 88
Enabling or disabling port auto recovery for multiple ports 89
Configuring Spanning Tree Group

Configuring Simple Loop Prevention Protocol
Configuring SLPP globally 103
Configuring the SLPP by VLAN 104
Configuring the SLPP by port 106
91
103
Configuring static link aggregation

Link aggregation traffic distribution 109
Adding a link aggregation group 110
Viewing link aggregation interface statistics
Configuring SMLT 120
109
114

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Contents 7
Adding an MLT-based SMLT 120
Viewing MLT-based SMLT information for the switch 121
Configuring a single port SMLT 122
Viewing single port SMLTs configured on the switch 123
Deleting a single port SMLT 124
Configuring an IST MLT 124
Removing an IST MLT 125
Viewing IST statistics 126
Index
128
Figures
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15
Figure 16
Figure 17
Figure 18
Figure 19
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Port-based VLAN 19
Dynamic protocol-based VLAN 21
VLAN tag insertion 22
Multiple spanning tree groups 27
Switch-to-switch link aggregation configuration 32
Switch-to-server link aggregation configuration 33
Client/Server link aggregation configuration 34
Resilient networks with Spanning Tree Protocol 37
Resilient networks with SMLT 38
8300 switches as SMLT aggregation switches 39
show vlan info fdb-entry 10 sample output 43
Network topology for traffic flow example 43
Single port SMLT example 45
Single Port SMLT topology 46
SMLT triangle topology 47
SMLT square topology 48
SMLT full mesh topology 49
Changing a split trunk from MLT-based SMLT to single port SMLT 50
SLPP frame 53
VLAN dialog box - Basic tab 58
VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box for port-based VLANs 61
VlanPortMembers dialog box 62
IP, VLAN dialog box 63
IP, VLAN, Insert IP Address dialog box 63
VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box for protocol-based VLANs 64
VlanPortMembers dialog box 65
VLAN, Insert Basic: insert a user-defined, protocol-based VLAN 67
PortMembers, VLAN dialog box 68
VLAN dialog box - Advanced tab 69
Port dialog box - Interface tab 72
Port dialog box - VLAN tab 72
VlanMacLearning dialog box - Manual Edit tab 74
VlanMacLearning, Insert Manual Edit dialog box 74
BridgeManualEditPorts dialog box 74
VlanMacLearning dialog box - Auto Learn tab 75
Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Transparent tab 76
Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Forwarding tab 78

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8 Contents
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
Figure 20
VLAN dialog box - Advanced tab: flushing the forwarding

database 79
Bridge, VLAN - Static tab 81
Bridge, VLAN, Insert Static dialog box 81
Bridge, VLAN, Insert Filter dialog box 83
STG dialog box - Globals tab 92
STG dialog box - Configuration tab 93
STG, Insert Configuration dialog box 93
StgPortMembers dialog box 94
STG dialog box - Status tab 97
STG dialog box - Ports tab 99
MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks tab 110
MLT, Insert MultiLink Trunks dialog box 111
MltPortMembers dialog box 111
VlanIds dialog box 112
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface tab 115
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Ethernet Errors tab 117
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface Utilization tab 119
Multilink Trunks tab on the MLT dialog box 121
SMLT Info tab on the SMLT dialog box 122
SMLT tab on the Port dialog box 122
Insert SMLT dialog box 123
Single Port SMLT tab on the SMLT dialog box 123
IST MLT dialog box 125
Ist/SMLT Stats tab on the MLT dialog box 127
Tables
Table
Table
Table
Table
1
2
3
4
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
Table
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
Port membership types for policy-based VLANS 19

PIDs not available for user-defined protocol-based VLANs 21
VLAN rules 25
Spanning Tree Protocol topology change detection configuration
rules 29
Methods of traffic distribution for packets with a trunk destination 30
SLPP frame fields 53
VLAN, STG, and link aggregation support 55
VLAN - Basic tab fields 59
VLAN - Advanced tab fields 70
VlanMacLearning - Insert Manual Edit tab fields 75
Bridge ,VLAN dialog box - Transparent tab fields 77
Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Forwarding tab fields 78
Bridge , VLAN - Static tab fields 82
Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Filter tab fields 84
Bridge, VLAN, Insert Multicast tab fields 86
STG Configuration tab fields 94
STG Status tab fields 97
STG Ports tab fields 99
SLPP - Global tab fields 104
SLPP - Insert VLANS window fields 106
SLPP - Ports tab fields 107
MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks fields 112
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface tab fields 115

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Contents 9
Table 24
Table 25
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Ethernet Errors tab fields 117

Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface Utilization tab fields 120

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11
New in this release

The following sections detail what is new in Configuration VLANs,
Spanning Tree, and Static Link Aggregation using Device Manager
(NN46200-510) for Release 4.0.
"Features" (page 11)
"Other changes" (page 11)
Features
See the following sections for information about feature changes:
"Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page 52)
"Configuring Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page 103)
"Port auto recovery" (page 54)
Other changes
See the following sections for information about changes that reflect the
upgrade to eight port multilink trunking (MLT) for this release:
Table 22 "MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks fields" (page 112)
"Adding ports to a link aggregation group" (page 113)
"Adding an MLT-based SMLT" (page 120)
"Link aggregation rules" (page 30)

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12 New in this release

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13
Preface
The Nortel* Ethernet Routing Switch (ERS) 8300 is a flexible and
multifunctional Layer 2/Layer 3 switch that supports diverse network
architectures and protocols. The ERS 8300 provides security and control
features such as Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPoL),
Simple Network Management Protocol, Version 3 (SNMP3), and Secure
Shell (SSH). The ERS 8300 provides quality of service (QoS) for a high
number of attached devices and supports future network requirements for
QoS for critical applications, such as Voice over IP (VoIP).
Java Device Manager (Device Manager) is a graphical user interface (GUI)
used to configure and manage 8300 Series switches. You install it on a
management station in the network. For instructions on installing and
starting Device Manager on a Windows*, UNIX*, or Linux* platform, refer
to Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 Fundamentals Using Device
Manager (NN46200-303). The manual also describes some common
startup problems and how to troubleshoot them.
This guide describes how to use Device Manager to configure VLANs,
spanning tree, and static link aggregation for the 8300 Series switches.
Before you begin

This guide is intended for network administrators who have the following
background:
basic knowledge of networks, Ethernet bridging, and IP routing
familiarity with networking concepts and terminology
experience with windowing systems or GUIs
basic knowledge of network topologies
Before using this guide, you must complete the following procedures. For a
new switch:
Step
Action
Install the switch.

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14 Preface
For installation instructions, see Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

Installation Chassis Installation and Maintenance (NN46200-304)
andNortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 Installation Modules
(NN46200-305).
2
Connect the switch to the network.

For more information, see Getting Started (316799-C).
End
Ensure that you are running the latest version of Nortel ERS 8300 software.
For information about upgrading the ERS 8300, see Nortel Ethernet Routing
Switch 8300 Upgrades Software Release 4.0(NN46200-400).
How to get help

This section explains how to get help for Nortel products and services.
Getting help from the Nortel web site

The best way to get technical support for Nortel products is from the Nortel
Technical Support web site:
www.nortel.com/support
This site provides quick access to software, documentation, bulletins, and
tools to address issues with Nortel products. From this site, you can:
Download software, documentation, and product bulletins.
Search the Technical Support Web site and the Nortel Knowledge Base
for answers to technical issues.
Sign up for automatic notification of new software and documentation

for Nortel equipment.
Open and manage technical support cases.
Getting help over the phone from a Nortel Solutions Center

If you do not find the information you require on the Nortel Technical Support
web site, and you have a Nortel support contract, you can also get help over
the phone from a Nortel Solutions Center.
In North America, call 1-800-4NORTEL (1-800-466-7835).
Outside North America, go to the following web site to obtain the phone
number for your region:
www.nortel.com/callus

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How to get help
15
Getting help from a specialist using an Express Routing Code

To access some Nortel Technical Solutions Centers, you can use an Express
Routing Code (ERC) to quickly route your call to a specialist in your Nortel
product or service. To locate the ERC for your product or service, go to:
www.nortel.com/erc
Getting help through a Nortel distributor or reseller

If you purchased a service contract for your Nortel product from a distributor
or authorized reseller, contact the technical support staff for that distributor
or reseller.

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16 Preface

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17
VLANs, Spanning Tree, and Static Link

Aggregation
This chapter describes Virtual LANs, spanning tree groups, and link
aggregation. The following topics are included:
"VLANs" (page 17)
"Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)" (page 26)
"Static link aggregation" (page 29)
"Split MultiLink Trunking" (page 34)
"Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page 52)
"Port auto recovery" (page 54)
"VLAN, STG, and link aggregation feature support" (page 55)
VLANs
With a virtual LAN (VLAN), you can divide your LAN into smaller groups
without interfering with the physical network. You can use VLANs to:
Create workgroups for common interest groups.
Create workgroups for specific types of network traffic.
Add, move, or delete members from these workgroups without making

any physical changes to the network.
By dividing the network into separate VLANs, you can create separate
broadcast domains. This conserves bandwidth, especially in networks
supporting broadcast and multicast applications that flood the network with
traffic. A VLAN workgroup can include members from a number of dispersed
physical segments on the network, improving traffic flow between them.
The ERS 8300 performs the layer 2 switching functions necessary to
transmit information within VLANs as well as the layer 3 routing functions
necessary for VLANs to communicate with one another. A VLAN can be
defined for a single switch or it can span multiple switches. A port can be a
member of multiple VLANs.
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18 VLANs, Spanning Tree, and Static Link Aggregation
The ERS 8300 supports port-based VLANs and policy-based VLANs.

This section includes the following topics:
"VLAN ports" (page 18)
"Port-based VLANs" (page 18)
"Policy-based VLANs" (page 19)
"Protocol-based VLANs" (page 20)
"Independent VLAN Learning (IVL)" (page 22)
"VLAN tagging and port types" (page 22)
"VLAN router interfaces" (page 24)
"VLAN implementation" (page 24)
VLAN ports
A Virtual LAN is made up of a group of ports that define a logical broadcast
domain. These ports can belong to a single switch, or they can be spread
across multiple switches. In a VLAN-aware switch, every frame received
on a port is classified as belonging to only one VLAN. Whenever a
broadcast, multicast, or unknown destination frame needs to be flooded by
a VLAN-aware switch, the frame is sent out through only the other active
ports that are members of this VLAN.
The default switch configuration groups all ports into the port-based default
VLAN 1. This VLAN cannot be deleted from the system, and is statically
bound to the default spanning tree group (STG).
Port-based VLANs
A port-based VLAN is a VLAN with ports explicitly configured as members.
When creating a port-based VLAN, you assign a VLAN identification
number (VID) and specify the ports that belong to the VLAN. The VID is
used to coordinate VLANs across multiple switches.
The example in Figure 1 "Port-based VLAN" (page 19) shows two
port-based VLANs: one for the marketing department and one for the sales
department. Ports are assigned to each port-based VLAN. A change in the
sales area can move the sales representative at port 3/1 (the first port in the
I/O module in chassis slot 3) to the marketing department without moving
cables. With a port-based VLAN, you only need to indicate in Device
Manager or the CLI that port 3/1 in the sales VLAN now is a member of
the marketing VLAN.

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VLANs 19
Figure 1
Port-based VLAN
Policy-based VLANs
The ERS 8300 supports a total of 500 unique policy-based VLANS.
However, there are some restrictions on the number of types of policy-based
VLANs.
In a policy-based VLAN, a port can be designated as always a member or
never a member. Table 1 "Port membership types for policy-based VLANS"
(page 19) describes these port membership types.
Table 1
Port membership types for policy-based VLANS
Membership type
Description
Static(Always a member)
Static members are always active members of

the VLAN, when configured as belonging to
that VLAN. This membership type is used in
policy-based and port-based VLANs.
Not allowed to join

(Never a member)
In policy-based VLANs, the tagged ports

are usually configured as static members.
In port-based VLANs, all ports are always

static members.
Ports of this type are not allowed to join the

VLAN.

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A non-tagged port can belong to multiple VLANs, as long as the VLANs are
not of the same type but are in the same spanning tree group.
Protocol-based VLANs
Protocol-based VLANs are an effective way to segment your network
into broadcast domains according to the network protocols in use. Traffic
generated by any network protocol IPX, Appletalk, and so forth can be
automatically confined to its own VLAN.
Port tagging is not required for a port to be a member of multiple
protocol-based VLANs.
The ERS 8300 supports the following protocol-based VLANs:
IP version 4 (ip)
Novell IPX on Ethernet 802.3 frames (ipx802dot3)
Novell IPX on IEEE 802.2 frames (ipx802dot2)
Novell IPX on Ethernet SNAP frames (ipxSnap)
Novell IPX on Ethernet Type 2 frames (ipxEthernet2)
AppleTalk on Ethernet Type 2 and Ethernet SNAP frames (AppleTalk)
DEC LAT Protocol (decLat)
Other DEC protocols (decOther)
IBM SNA on IEEE 802.2 frames (sna802dot2)
IBM SNA on Ethernet Type 2 frames (snaEthernet2)
NetBIOS Protocol (netBIOS)
Xerox XNS (xns)
Banyan VINES (vines)
IP version 6 (ipv6)
Reverse Address Resolution Protocol (RARP)
User-defined protocols
Example: IPX protocol-based VLAN

You can create a VLAN for the IPX protocol and place ports carrying
substantial IPX traffic into this new VLAN.
In Figure 2 "Dynamic protocol-based VLAN" (page 21), the network
manager placed ports 7/1, 3/1, and 3/2 in an IPX VLAN. These ports still
belong to their respective marketing and sales VLANs, but they are also new
members of the IPX VLAN. This arrangement localizes traffic and ensures
that only three ports are flooded with IPX broadcast packets.

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VLANs 21
Figure 2
Dynamic protocol-based VLAN
User-defined protocol-based VLANs

You can create user-defined protocol-based VLANs in support of networks
with non-standard protocols. For user-defined protocol-based VLANs, you
can specify the Protocol Identifier (PID) for the VLAN. For release 2.1, you
can enter the PID as a range of hexadecimal identifiers separated by a
comma (,) a dash (-), or some combination of the two. Note that you can
provide a maximum of 8 PIDs in this range.
Frames that match the specified PID for the following are assigned to that
user-defined VLAN:
the ethertype for Ethernet type 2 frames
the PID in Ethernet SNAP frames
the DSAP or SSAP value in Ethernet 802.2 frames
Table 2 "PIDs not available for user-defined protocol-based VLANs" (page

21) lists the predefined policy-based PIDs, which are reserved and cannot
be designated as user-defined PIDs.
Table 2
PIDs not available for user-defined protocol-based VLANs
PID (hex)
Description
04xx, xx04
sna802dot2
F0xx, xxF0
netBIOS
0000-05DC
Overlaps with 802.3 frame length
0600, 0807
xns
0BAD
VINES
4242
IEEE 802.1D BPDUs

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PID (hex)
Description
0800
IP
0806
ARP
8035
RARP
809B, 80F3
AppleTalk
8100
Reserved by IEEE 802.1Q for tagged frames
8137, 8138
ipxEthernet2 and ipxSnap
80D5
snaEthernet2
86DD
ipv6
8808
IEEE 802.3x pause frames
9000
Used by diagnostic loopback frames
Independent VLAN Learning (IVL)

In the ERS 8300, each VLAN has its own, independent, forwarding
database. That is, the same MAC address can be learned in different
VLANs; and, based on the VLAN receiving traffic for this address, the
switch is able to forward to this MAC address without any confusion. This
means that before the switch can look up the source or destination MAC
address in a received frame, or before it can decide whether to bridge or
to route a frame, it must first determine the VLAN that the frame belongs
to. The IVL mode is used to learn MAC addresses in the context of the
VLAN they belong to.
VLAN tagging and port types

The ERS 8300 uses IEEE 802.1Q tagging of frames and coordinating
VLANs across multiple switches. Figure 3 "VLAN tag insertion" (page
22) shows the additional 4-octet (tag) header inserted into a frame after the
source address and before the frame type. The tag contains the VLAN ID
associated with the frame.
Figure 3
VLAN tag insertion

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VLANs 23
802.1Q tagged ports

Tagging a frame adds four octets to a frame, making it bigger than the
traditional maximum frame size. These frames are sometimes referred to
as "baby giant" frames. If a device does not support IEEE 802.1Q tagging,
it can have problems interpreting tagged frames and receiving baby giant
frames.
In the ERS 8300, your port level configuration determines whether tagged
frames are sent and received. Tagging is set as true or false for the port and
is applied to all VLANs on that port.
When you enable tagging on an untagged port, the ports previous
configuration of VLANs and STGs is lost. In addition, the port resets and
runs Spanning Tree Protocol, thus breaking connectivity while the protocol
goes through the normal listening and learning states before the forwarding
state.
A ERS 8300 port with tagging enabled sends frames explicitly tagged with a
VLAN ID. Tagged ports are typically used to multiplex traffic belonging to
multiple VLANs to other IEEE-802.1Q-compliant devices.
If tagging is disabled on a ERS 8300 port, it does not send tagged frames.
A nontagged port connects the ERS 8300 to devices that do not support
IEEE 802.1Q tagging. If a tagged frame is forwarded out a port on which
tagging is set to false, the switch removes the tag from the frame before
sending it out the port.
If a port is set for tagging on a ERS 8300, and the port is also a member of
an untagged multilink trunk (MLT), or the reverse is true. The port settings
on the MLT overrides.
Treatment of tagged and untagged frames

A ERS 8300 associates a frame with a VLAN based on the data content of
the frame and the configuration of the destination port. Whether the frame
is tagged or untagged dictates how that frame is treated.
If a tagged frame is received on a tagged port, with a VLAN ID specified in
the tag, the ERS 8300 directs it to that VLAN, if it is present.
For untagged frames, VLAN membership is implied from the content of
the frame itself. For untagged frames received on a tagged port, you can
configure the port to either discard or accept the frame. If you configure
a tagged port to accept untagged frames, the port must be assigned to
a port-based VLAN.
On the ERS 8300 you have the option to configure tagged ports to send
untagged frames on the default VLAN of the port.

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How the frame is forwarded is based on the VLAN the frame is received
and on the forwarding options available for that VLAN. A ERS 8300 tries to
associate untagged frames with a VLAN in the following order:
Does the frame belong to a protocol-based VLAN?
What is the port-based VLAN of the receiving port?
If the frame meets none of the preceding criteria, it is discarded.
VLAN router interfaces

Virtual router interfaces correspond to routing on a virtual port associated
with a VLAN. This type of routing is the routing of IP traffic to and from a
VLAN. Because a given port can belong to multiple VLANs (some of which
are configured for routing on the switch and some of which are not), there is
not a one-to-one correspondence between the physical port and the router
interface. For VLAN routing, the router interface for the VLAN is called a
virtual router interface because the IP address is assigned to an interface
on the routing entity in the switch. This initial interface has a one-to-one
correspondence with a VLAN on any given switch.
The ERS 8300 chassis supports 4096 MAC addresses. If you are using
an 8600 chassis, make sure it supports 4096 MAC addresses. You can
install the 8600 MAC upgrade kit to support 4096 MAC addresses. For
more information, see the publication, Adding MAC addresses to the 8600
Series Switch (part number 212486-A).
VLAN implementation
This section describes how to implement VLANs on a ERS 8300. The
following topics are included:
"Default VLANs" (page 24)
"Unassigned VLANs" (page 24)
"VLAN rules" (page 25)
Default VLANs
The ERS 8300 is factory configured with all ports residing in a port-based
VLAN and default spanning tree group (STG) 1. With all ports in this default
VLAN, the switch behaves like a layer 2 switch. The VLAN ID of this default
VLAN is always 1, and it is always a port-based VLAN. The default VLAN
cannot be deleted.
Unassigned VLANs
The unassigned VLAN is a port-based VLAN that acts as a placeholder for
ports that are removed from other port-based VLANs. Ports can belong to
policy-based VLANs as well as to the unassigned VLAN. If a frame does not
meet any policy criteria and there is no underlying port-based VLAN, the
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VLANs 25
port belongs to the unassigned VLAN and the frame is dropped. Only ports
in the unassigned VLAN have no spanning tree group association, so they
do not participate in Spanning Tree Protocol negotiation; that is, no BPDUs
are sent out of ports in the unassigned VLAN.
The unassigned VLAN cannot be deleted or viewed. If a user-defined
spanning tree group is deleted, the ports are moved to the unassigned
VLAN and can later be assigned to another spanning tree group. Moving
the ports to the unassigned VLAN avoids creating unwanted loops and
duplicate connections. If routing is disabled in these ports, the port is
completely isolated and no layer 2 or layer 3 functionality is provided.
The unassigned VLAN is useful for security concerns or when using a port
for monitoring a mirrored port.
VLAN rules
Table 3 "VLAN rules" (page 25) describes the VLAN rules for the ERS 8300.
Table 3
VLAN rules
In addition to the default VLAN, the ERS 8300 supports 4000 VLANs. VLAN IDs range in
value from 1 to 4000. See note 1
If you enable tagging on a port in a VLAN, the spanning tree group configuration for that port is
lost. To preserve VLAN assignment of ports, enable tagging on the ports before you assign
the ports to VLANs.
Tagged ports can belong to multiple VLANs and multiple spanning tree groups. When a tagged
port belongs to multiple spanning tree groups, the BPDUs are tagged for all spanning tree
groups except for spanning tree group number 1. Under the default configuration, the default
is spanning tree group number 1.
An untagged port can belong to only one port-based VLAN. A port in a port-based VLAN can
belong to other policy-based VLANs.
An untagged port can belong to only one policy-based VLAN for a given protocol. For example,
a port can belong to only one policy-based VLAN where the policy is IPX802dot2 protocol.
A VLAN cannot span multiple spanning tree groups; that is, the ports in the VLAN must all
be within one spanning tree group. Spanning tree group IDs can range in value from 1 to
64. See note 1
A frames VLAN membership is determined by the following order of precedence:

1. VLAN ID in the frames VLAN tag
2. protocol-based VLAN
3. port-based VLAN
Also see Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 Release Notes Software Release
4.0(NN46200-401) for the latest information about supported software and hardware capabilities.
1

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Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

The operation of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is defined in the IEEE
Std 802.1D. The Spanning Tree Protocol detects and eliminates logical
loops in a bridged or switched network. When multiple paths exist, the
spanning tree algorithm configures the network so that a bridge or switch
uses only the most efficient path. If that path fails, the protocol automatically
reconfigures the network to make another path become active, thus
sustaining network operations. You can control path redundancy for VLANs
by implementing the panning Tree Protocol (STP).
A network can include multiple instances of STP. The collection of ports in
one spanning tree instance is called a spanning tree group (STG).
"Spanning tree groups" (page 26)
"Spanning Tree modes" (page 28)
"Spanning Tree FastStart" (page 28)
"Understanding STGs and VLANs" (page 28)
"Spanning Tree Protocol topology change detection" (page 29)
Spanning tree groups

Each STG consists of a collection of ports that belong to the same instance
of the STP protocol. These STP instances are completely independent
from each other (for example, they send their own BPDUs, they have their
own timers, and so on).
Multiple STGs are possible within the same switch; that is, the routing switch
can participate in the negotiation for multiple spanning trees.
Figure 4 "Multiple spanning tree groups" (page 27) shows multiple spanning
tree groups.

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Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
27
Figure 4
Multiple spanning tree groups
Spanning Tree Protocol controls

The ports associated with a VLAN and VLANs themselves must be
contained within a single STG to prevents problems with spanning tree
blocking ports and loss of connectivity within the VLAN.
Each untagged port can belong only one STG, while tagged ports can
belong to more than one STG. When a tagged port belongs to more than
one STG, the spanning tree bridge protocol data units (BPDUs) are tagged
to distinguish those of one STG from those of another STG. BPDUs from
STG 1 are not tagged. The tagged BPDUs are transmitted using a multicast
MAC address as tagged frames with a VLAN ID. Because tagged BPDUs
are not part of the IEEE 802.1D standard, not all devices can interpret
tagged BPDUs.
You can enable or disable the Spanning Tree Protocol at the port or at the
spanning tree group level. If you disable the protocol at the group level,
received BPDUs are handled like a MAC-level multicast and flooded out the
other ports of the STG. Note that an STG can contain one or more VLANs.
Remember that MAC broadcasts are flooded out on all ports of a VLAN; a
BPDU is a MAC-level message, but the BPDU is flooded out all ports on
the STG, which can encompass many VLANs.
When STP is globally enabled on the STG, BPDU handling depends on
the STP setting of the port:
When STP is enabled on the port, received BPDUs are processed in

accordance with STP.
When STP is disabled on the port, the port stays in a forwarding state,
received BPDUs are dropped and not processed, and no BPDU is
generated.

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Spanning Tree modes

ERS 8300 software release 2.2 introduces a Cisco-compatible Spanning
Tree mode. By default, the Nortel STG (NTSTG) is enabled, and all
BPDUs are sent on every MLT link. To use the Cisco-compatible Spanning
Tree mode, disable NTSTG BPDUs are sent on only one link of the
aggregation group. See "Adding a link aggregation group" (page 110) for
configuration instructions.
Spanning Tree FastStart

When enabled on a port with no other bridges, Spanning Tree FastStart
brings the port up more quickly following switch initialization or a spanning
tree change. The port goes through the normal blocking and learning states
before the forwarding state, but the hold times for these states is the bridge
hello timer (2 seconds by default) instead of the bridge forward delay timer
(15 seconds by default). Thus, if FastStart is enabled on a port using the
defaults of 2 seconds for Hello time and 15 seconds for Forward Delay
time, it goes into the forwarding state in 4 seconds, instead of the usual 30
seconds. If the port sees a BPDU, it reverts to regular behavior.
Instead of disabling STP on a port, Nortel recommends enabling FastStart
on the port as an alternative.
FastStart is intended for access ports where only one device is connected
to the switch (as in workstations with no other spanning tree devices). It
may not be desirable to wait the usual 30 to 35 seconds for spanning tree
initialization and bridge learning.
Use Spanning Tree FastStart with caution. This procedure is contrary
to that specified in the IEEE 802.1D standard for Spanning Tree Protocol
(STP), in which a port enters the blocking state following the initialization
of the bridging device or from the disabled state when the port is enabled
through configuration.
Understanding STGs and VLANs

A VLAN can include all the ports in a given STG and there can be multiple
VLANs in an STG, but a VLAN never has more ports than exist in the STG.
The recommended practice is to plan STGs and then create VLANs.
In the ERS 8300 default configuration, a single STG encompasses all the
ports in the switch. For most applications, this configuration is sufficient.
The default STG is assigned ID 1 (STG1).
If a VLAN spans multiple switches, it must be within the same STG across
all switches; that is, the ID of the STG in which it is defined must be the
same across all devices.

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Static link aggregation
29
Spanning Tree Protocol topology change detection

Change detection enables the detection of topology changes and sends a
topology change notification (TCN) to the Root, on an individual port basis.
Change detection is enabled by default. When change detection is enabled
and a topology change occurs, a trap is sent containing the following
information so that you can identify the device:
the MAC address of the STG sending the TCN
the port number
the STG ID
You can disable change detection on ports where a single end station is
connected, and where powering that end station on and off triggers the
TCN. Change detection is referenced in IEEE STD 802.1D.
Topology change detection configuration rules

The following rules apply to the Spanning Tree topology change detection
setting.
Table 4
Spanning Tree Protocol topology change detection configuration rules
You can configure change detection on access ports only. This also applies to link aggregation
ports.
If you disable change detection and then change the port from access to tagging-enabled,
the switch automatically sets change-detection to enabled for the port. This also applies to
link aggregation ports.
In a link aggregation group with access ports, modifications to change detection for a member
port are automatically applied to the remaining member ports.

Link aggregation is a point-to-point connection that aggregates multiple
ports so that they logically act like a single port with the aggregated
bandwidth. Grouping multiple ports into a logical link provides higher
aggregate throughput on a switch-to-switch or switch-to-server application.
Link aggregation provides media and module redundancy.
The ERS 8300 supports link aggregation in a static configuration mode
where no LACP is used. The ERS 8300 link aggregation is interoperable
with Baystack and Ethernet Routing Switch 8600 link aggregation, also
referred to as MLT.
"Link aggregation traffic distribution" (page 30)
"Link aggregation rules" (page 30)
"Link aggregation examples" (page 31)

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Link aggregation traffic distribution

Static aggregation groups can be used to aggregate bandwidth between
two switches. The ERS 8300 distributes traffic by determining the active
port in a link aggregation group that can be used for each outgoing packet.
Link aggregation group algorithms provide load sharing while ensuring that
packets do not arrive out of sequence.
The ERS 8300 determines the port a packet is transmitted through by:
Tabulating the trunks and their active assigned port members for each
link aggregation group. Ports defined as trunk members are written to
the table in the order in which they are activated. If a link goes down, the
table is rewritten with one less trunk member.
Using a selected index, based on traffic type and a hashing algorithm.
Packet distribution methods

Table 5 "Methods of traffic distribution for packets with a trunk destination"
(page 30) shows the methods used, by type of packet, to distribute packets
with a trunk destination.
Table 5
Methods of traffic distribution for packets with a trunk destination
Type of packet
MAC
source
address
(SA)
IPv4
MAC
source IP
destination
address
address (DA) (SIP)
Bridged packet
IPv4
destination
IP address
(DIP)
Bridged packet with

Layer 3 trunk load
balancing
Routed packet
Layer 3
protocol
Trunk load sharing algorithms by traffic type

For information about hashing parameters and algorithms that are used for
distributing link aggregation traffic, see Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300
Planning and EngineeringNetwork Design Guidelines (NN46200-200).
Link aggregation rules

This section describes the rules for the link aggregation groups in the ERS
8300 ..
Link aggregation is supported on 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX,

100Base-FX, Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 10Gigabit Ethernet ports.
The switch supports eight ports per aggregation group. All ports in a
link aggregation group must be of the same media type and have the
same speed and duplex settings.

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A physical port cannot belong to more than one link aggregation group.
Link aggregation is compatible with the Spanning Tree Protocol.
IEEE 802.1Q tagging is supported on a link aggregation group.
All ports in a link aggregation group must be in the same STG unless
they are tagged. If tagged, they can belong to multiple STGs.
For static aggregation groups, follow these guidelines:

For 8348TX, 8348TX-PWR, and 8324FX ports, you can use only
link aggregation groups 1 to 7.
For 8348GB, 8324GTX, 8324GTX-PWR, 8348GTX, and
8348GTX-PWR ports, as well as 8308XL, 8393SF, and 8394SF, you
can use link aggregation groups 1 to 31.
See note 1.
In addition to the default VLAN, the ERS 8300 supports 4000 VLANs.
VLAN IDs range in value from 1 to 4000.
The ports in a link aggregation group can span modules, providing

module redundancy.
Bridged packet traffic (except for IP distribution) is distributed across

the link aggregation group using a source and destination MAC
address-based algorithm.
Bridged and routed IP traffic is distributed across the link aggregation

group using a source and destination MAC and IP address-based
algorithm.
1 See Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch Release Notes Software Release

4.0 (NN46200-401) for the latest information about supported software
and hardware capabilities.
Link aggregation examples

With link aggregation, you can group switch ports together to form a link
to another switch or server, thus increasing aggregate throughput of the
interconnection between the devices. When the Spanning Tree Protocol is
enabled, Link aggregation software detects misconfigured or broken trunk
links and removes the port from the link aggregation group.
Switch-to-switch link aggregation configuration

Figure 5 "Switch-to-switch link aggregation configuration" (page 32) shows
two trunks (T1 and T2) connecting switch S1 to switches S2 and S3.

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Figure 5
Switch-to-switch link aggregation configuration
Each of the trunks shown in Figure 5 "Switch-to-switch link aggregation

configuration" (page 32) can be configured with multiple switch ports to
increase bandwidth and redundancy. When traffic between switch-to-switch
connections approaches single port bandwidth limitations, creating a link
aggregation group can supply the additional bandwidth required to improve
performance.
Switch-to-server link aggregation configuration

Figure 6 "Switch-to-server link aggregation configuration" (page 33) shows
a typical switch-to-server trunk configuration. In this example, file server
FS1 utilizes dual MAC addresses, using one MAC address for each network
interface card (NIC). No link aggregation group is configured to FS1. FS2 is
a single MAC server (with a 4-port NIC) and is set up as trunk configuration
T1.

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Figure 6
Switch-to-server link aggregation configuration
Client/server link aggregation configuration

Figure 7 "Client/Server link aggregation configuration" (page 34) shows an
example of how link aggregation can be used in a client/server configuration.
In this example, both servers are connected directly to switch S1. FS2 is
connected through a trunk configuration (T1).
The switch-to-switch connections are through trunks (T2, T3, T4, and T5).
Clients accessing data from the servers (FS1 and FS2) are provided with
maximized bandwidth through trunks T1, T2, T3, T4, and T5. On the ERS
8300, trunk members (the ports making up each trunk) do not have to be
consecutive switch ports; they can be selected across different modules for
module redundancy.
With spanning tree enabled and trunks T2 and T3 in the same spanning
tree group, one of the trunks (T2 or T3) acts as a redundant (backup)
trunk to switch S2, and STP blocks one of the trunks. With spanning tree
disabled, neither trunk T2 nor trunk T3 is blocked; they must be configured
into separate STGs to avoid a loop in the network.

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Figure 7
Client/Server link aggregation configuration
With spanning tree enabled, ports that belong to the same link aggregation
group operate as follows. All ports in the group must belong to the same
spanning tree group if spanning tree is enabled. Identical bridge protocol
data units (BPDUs) are sent out of each port. The group port ID is the ID of
the lowest numbered port. If identical BPDUs are received on all ports, the
link aggregation mode is forwarding. If no BPDU is received on a port or if
BPDU tagging and port tagging do not match, the individual port is taken
offline. Path cost is inversely proportional to the active link aggregation
bandwidth.
Split MultiLink Trunking

This section describes the Split MultiLink Trunking (SMLT) feature. The
following topics are included:
"Overview" (page 35)
"Advantages of SMLT" (page 36)
"How SMLT works" (page 38)
"Inter-Switch Trunks" (page 40)

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"CP-Limit and SMLT IST" (page 41)
"Traffic flow in an SMLT environment" (page 42)
"Single port SMLT" (page 44)
"SMLT topologies" (page 45)
"Using MLT-based SMLT with single port SMLT" (page 49)
"SMLT network design considerations" (page 50)
"SMLT and VRRP backup master" (page 51)
35
To configure SMLT using Device Manager, see "Configuring SMLT" (page

120).
Overview
Link Aggregation technologies have become popular for improving link
bandwidth and to protect against link failures.
SMLT is an extension of link aggregation, which improves the level of
Layer 2/Layer 3 resiliency by providing nodal protection in addition to link
failure protection and flexible bandwidth scaling. SMLT achieves this by
allowing edge switches using link aggregation to dual-home to two SMLT
aggregation switches. SMLT is transparent to those attached devices that
support link aggregation.
Because SMLT inherently avoids loops due to its superior enhanced link
aggregation control protocol, when designing networks using SMLT, it is not
necessary to use the IEEE 802.1d/w Spanning Tree protocols to enable
loop-free triangle topologies.
With split multilink trunking, two aggregation switches can appear as a single
device to edge switches, which are dual-homed to the aggregation switches.
The aggregation switches are interconnected using an Inter-Switch Trunk
(IST) and can exchange addressing and state information (permitting rapid
fault detection and forwarding path modification). Although SMLT is primarily
designed for Layer 2, it also provides benefits for Layer 3 networks.
ATTENTION
Layer 2 edge switches must support some form of link aggregation (such as MLT)
to allow communications with the SMLT aggregation switches.

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Advantages of SMLT
SMLT improves the reliability of Layer 2 networks that operate between
edge switches and the network center aggregation switches by providing
the following:
load sharing among all links
fast failover in case of link failures
elimination of single point of failure
fast recovery, in case of nodal failure
transparent and interoperable solution
elimination of STP convergence issues
These advantages are described in more detail in the sections that follow.
Single point of failure elimination

SMLT helps eliminate all single points of failure and create multiple paths
from all edge switches to the core of the network. In case of failure, SMLT
recovers as quickly as possible so that no unused capacity is created.
Finally, SMLT provides a transparent and interoperable solution that requires
no modification on the part of the majority of existing edge devices.
SMLT compared to Spanning Tree Protocol

Networks that are designed to have edge switches dual-homed to two
aggregation switches, and that have VLANs spanning two or more edge
switches, experience the following design constraints:
spanning tree must be used to detect loops
no load sharing exists over redundant links
slow network convergence exists in case of failure (3045 seconds)
Figure 8 "Resilient networks with Spanning Tree Protocol" (page 37) shows
a typical aggregator switch configuration dependent upon STP for loop
detection.

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Figure 8
Resilient networks with Spanning Tree Protocol
As shown in Figure 9 "Resilient networks with SMLT" (page 38), with the
introduction of SMLT, all dual-homed Layer 2 frame-switched network
devices are no longer dependent upon STP for loop detection because a
properly designed SMLT network inherently does not have any logical loops.

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Figure 9
Resilient networks with SMLT
SMLT solves the Spanning Tree problem by combining two aggregation

switches into one logical MLT entity, which makes it transparent to any type
of edge switch. In the process, it provides quick convergence, while load
sharing across all available trunks.
How SMLT works

Figure 10 "8300 switches as SMLT aggregation switches" (page
39) illustrates an SMLT configuration with a pair of 8300 switches (E and
F) as aggregation switches. Also included are four separate edge switches
(A, B, C, and D). Refer to the following sections for a description of the
components shown in this SMLT example:
"Inter-Switch Trunks" (page 40)
"CP-Limit and SMLT IST" (page 41)
"Other SMLT aggregation switch connections" (page 39)

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Figure 10
8300 switches as SMLT aggregation switches
Other SMLT aggregation switch connections

Figure 10 "8300 switches as SMLT aggregation switches" (page 39) also
includes end stations connected to each of the switches.
In this example, a, b1, b2, c1, c2, and d are clients and printers, while e and
f can be servers or routers.
Edge switches B and C can use any method for determining a link of their
multilink trunk connections to use for forwarding a packet, as long as the
same link is used for a given Source/Destination (SA/DA) pair. This is true,
regardless of whether or not the DA is known by B or C. SMLT aggregation
switches always send traffic directly to an edge switch and only use the IST
for traffic that they cannot forward in another more direct way.
The examples that follow explain the process in more detail:
"Example 1-Traffic flow from a to b1 or b2" (page 40)
"Example 2-Traffic flow from b1/b2 to c1/c2" (page 40)
"Example 3-Traffic flow from a to d" (page 40)
"Example 4-Traffic flow from f to c1/c2" (page 40)

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Example 1-Traffic flow from a to b1 or b2 Assuming a and b1/b2

are communicating using Layer 2, traffic flows from A to switch E and is
forwarded over the direct link to B. Traffic coming from b1 or b2 to a is sent
by B on one of its MLT ports.
B sends traffic from b1 to a on the link to switch E, and traffic from b2 to a
on the link to F. In the case of traffic from b1, switch E forwards the traffic
directly to switch A, while traffic from b2, which arrived at F, is forwarded
across the IST to E and then on to A.
Example 2-Traffic flow from b1/b2 to c1/c2 Traffic from b1/b2 to c1/c2
is always sent by switch B through the MLT to the core. No matter which
switch (E or F) it arrives at, traffic is sent directly to C through the local link.
Example 3-Traffic flow from a to d Traffic from a to d (and the reverse)
is forwarded across the IST because it is the shortest path. This link is
treated purely as a standard link with no account taken of SMLT and the fact
that it is also an IST.
Example 4-Traffic flow from f to c1/c2 Traffic from f to c1/c2 is sent
directly from F. With return traffic from c1/c2, you can have one active VRRP
Master for each IP subnet. The traffic is passed across the IST if switch C
sends it through the link to E.
Inter-Switch Trunks
SMLT aggregation switches must be connected with an Inter-Switch Trunk
(IST). For example, in Figure 10 "8300 switches as SMLT aggregation
switches" (page 39), edge switches B and C are connected to the
aggregation switches using multilink trunks split between the two
aggregation switches. The implementation of SMLT requires only two
SMLT-capable aggregation switches.
Aggregation switches use the IST to:
Confirm that they are alive and exchange MAC address forwarding
tables.
Carry the SMLT control packets.
Send traffic between single switches attached to the aggregation

switches.
Serve as a backup if one SMLT link fails.
Because the IST is required for the SMLT, Nortel recommends that you use
multiple links on the IST to ensure reliability and high availability. Nortel
recommends using Gigabit Ethernet links for IST connectivity to provide
enough bandwidth for potential cross traffic.

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41
ATTENTION
Nortel recommends that an IST MLT contain at least 2 physical ports.
CP-Limit and SMLT IST

Control packet rate limit (CP-Limit) controls the amount of multicast and
broadcast traffic that can be sent to the CPU from a physical port. It protects
the CPU from being flooded by traffic from a single, unstable port. The
CP-Limit default settings are:
default state = enabled
default multicast packets-per-second (pps) value = 15 000
default broadcast pps value = 10 000
ATTENTION
Nortel recommends setting the multicast packets-per-second value to 6000 pps
when you configure SMLT links.
If the actual rate of packets-per-second sent from a port exceeds the

defined rate, the port is administratively shut down to protect the CPU from
continued bombardment. Disabling IST ports in this way can impair network
traffic flow in an SMLT configuration.
To avoid this scenario, the 8300 Series switch automatically disables
CP-Limit on all IST port members.
Disabling CP-Limit on IST MLT ports forces another, less-critical port to be
disabled if the defined CP-Limits are exceeded. In doing so, the switch
preserves network stability if a protection condition (CP-Limit) arises.
Note that, although it is likely that one of the SMLT MLT ports (risers) is
disabled in such a condition, traffic continues to flow uninterrupted through
the remaining SMLT ports.
When you remove the IST configuration from an IST port member, the
switch returns the CP-Limit for the port to the default state (enabled).
Do not confuse CP-Limit with port rate limiting. Port rate limiting and
CP-Limit serve different purposes. Port level rate limiting, if enabled, limits
all packets with broadcast and multicast addresses to control the amount of
user traffic. CP-Limit is a protection mechanism for the control plane that
only counts packets that are destined for the control plane, or packets that
are processed by the CPU with a QoS=7.

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Traffic flow in an SMLT environment

Traffic flow in an SMLT environment follows these rules:
If a packet is received from an interswitch trunk port, it is not forwarded

to any active SMLT groups, which is key in preventing network loops.
When a packet is received, a look-up is performed on the forwarding

database. If an entry exists, and if the entry was learned locally from
the split multilink trunk or through the interswitch trunk as a remote
split multilink trunk, it is forwarded out the local port (the packet cannot
be sent to the interswitch trunk for forwarding unless there is no local
connection). Unknown and Broadcast packets are flooded out all ports
that are members of this VLAN.
For loadsharing purposes in an SMLT scenario, the Ethernet Routing

Switch 8300 obeys the trunk distribution algorithm. See Nortel Ethernet
Routing Switch 8300 Planning and EngineeringNetwork Design
Guidelines (NN46200-200) for more details about the algorithms.
Traffic flow example

In an SMLT environment, the two aggregation switches share the same
forwarding database by exchanging forwarding entries using the IST. In
the following figure, Figure 11 "show vlan info fdb-entry 10 sample output"
(page 43), the forwarding databases are shown for a pair of IST nodes
(B and C). Note that the entry for 00:E0:7B:B3:04:00 is shown on node
C as being learned on MLT-1, but because SMLT REMOTE is true, this
entry was actually learned from node B. On B, that same entry is shown
as being directly learned through MLT-1 because SMLT REMOTE is false.
Figure 12 "Network topology for traffic flow example" (page 43) shows the
network topology.
When a packet arrives at node C destined for 00:E0:7B:B3:04:00, if the
SMLT REMOTE status is true, the switch tries to send the packet out MLT-1
first, rather than through the interswitch trunk. Traffic rarely traverses the
interswitch trunk unless there is a failure. If this same packet arrives at B, it
is forwarded to MLT-1 on the local ports.

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Figure 11
show vlan info fdb-entry 10 sample output
Figure 12
Network topology for traffic flow example

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Single port SMLT

With single port SMLT, you can configure a split multilink trunk using a single
port and scale the number of split multilink trunks on a switch to a maximum
number of available ports. Single port SMLT behaves just like an MLT-based
SMLT and can coexist with SMLTs in the same system.
Split MLT links can exist in the following combinations on the SMLT
aggregation switch pair:
MLT-based SMLT + MLT-based SMLT
MLT-based SMLT + single port SMLT
single port SMLT + single port SMLT
The rules for configuring single port SMLT are the following:
The dual-homed device connecting to the aggregation switches must be

capable of supporting MLT.
Single port SMLT is supported on Ethernet ports.
Each single port SMLT is assigned an SMLT ID from 1 to 512.
Single port SMLT ports can be designated as Access or Trunk (that is,
IEEE 802.1Q tagged or not), and changing the type does not affect
their behavior.
You cannot change a single port SMLT into an MLT-based SMLT by

adding more ports. You must delete the single port SMLT, and then
reconfigure the port as SMLT/MLT.
You cannot change an MLT-based SMLT into a single port SMLT by

deleting all ports but one. You must first remove the SMLT/MLT and then
reconfigure the port as single port SMLT.
A port cannot be configured as MLT-based SMLT and as single port

SMLT at the same time.
Figure 13 "Single port SMLT example" (page 45) shows a configuration, in

which both aggregation switches have single port SMLTs with the same
IDs. With this configuration, you can have as many single port SMLTs as
there are available ports on the switch.

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Figure 13
Single port SMLT example
SMLT topologies
Four generic topologies are available, in which SMLT can be deployed.
Depending on the resiliency and redundancy you require, you can choose
among one of the following configurations:
"Single port SMLT topology" (page 45)
"SMLT triangle topology" (page 46)
"SMLT square topology" (page 47)
"SMLT full mesh topology" (page 48)
Single port SMLT topology

Sometimes you need to exceed the Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 multilink
trunk Group ID limit for server farm applications. In this case, you can use
Single Port SMLT (seeFigure 14 "Single Port SMLT topology" (page 46)).
With this topology, you can scale up to the maximum number of ports on
a switch. Any Layer 2 switch capable of link aggregation can be used as
the client in this case.

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Figure 14
Single Port SMLT topology
SMLT triangle topology

The most often used configuration, the triangle configuration, connects
multiple access switches to a pair of Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 devices.
In many cases, dual-NIC servers capable of link aggregation are connected
directly to the Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 devices in a similar fashion.
The following figure, Figure 15 "SMLT triangle topology" (page 47), depicts
Extranet Switches (ES) as the SMLT Clients. In real-world applications, any
Layer 2 device capable of link aggregation can become the SMLT client.

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Figure 15
SMLT triangle topology
SMLT square topology

Often used in an enterprise core, the square SMLT configuration provides
network resiliency. The following figure, Figure 16 "SMLT square topology"
(page 48), shows this topology.

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Figure 16
SMLT square topology
SMLT full mesh topology

For maximum reliability and resiliency, all SMLT nodes can be fully meshed.
This may not be an economical solution for many cases, but if traffic loss
cannot be tolerated, this design can route traffic around any failure. The
following figure, Figure 17 "SMLT full mesh topology" (page 49), shows
the full mesh topology.

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49
Figure 17
SMLT full mesh topology
Using MLT-based SMLT with single port SMLT

You can configure a split trunk with a single port SMLT on one side and
an MLT-based SMLT on the other. Both must have the same SMLT ID. In
addition to general use, Figure 18 "Changing a split trunk from MLT-based
SMLT to single port SMLT" (page 50)shows how this configuration can be
used for upgrading an MLT-based SMLT to a single port SMLT without
taking down the split trunk.

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Figure 18
Changing a split trunk from MLT-based SMLT to single port SMLT
SMLT network design considerations

Use the following base guidelines when designing an SMLT network (for
more information, refer to Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 Planning
and Engineering Network Design Guidelines (NN46200-200)).
Step
Action
Define a separate VLAN for the IST protocol:

config mlt 1 ist create ip <value> vlan-id <value>
Enable tagging on IST trunk links:

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config ethernet <slot/port> perform-tagging enable

3
Enable dropping of untagged frames on IST trunk links:

config ethernet <slot/port> untagged-framesdiscard enable
End
SMLT and VRRP backup master

When configuring routing on SMLT aggregation switches, Nortel
recommends that you use VRRP for default gateway redundancy. With
the standard implementation in a VRRP environment, you can have one
active primary router per IP subnet, with all other network VRRP interfaces
in backup mode.
A deficiency occurs when VRRP-enabled switches use SMLT. If VRRP
switches are aggregated into two SMLT switches, the end host traffic is
load-shared on all uplinks to the aggregation switches (based on the MLT
traffic distribution algorithm).
VRRP normally has only one active routing interface enabled. All other
VRRP routers are in backup (standby) mode. Therefore, all traffic that
reaches the backup VRRP router is forwarded over the Inter Switch Trunk
(IST) link towards the master VRRP router. In this case, the IST link does
not have enough bandwidth to carry all the aggregated traffic.
You can overcome this issue by assigning the backup router as the Backup
Master router. The Backup Master router is a backup router permitted to
actively load-share the routing traffic with a master router.
When enabled, the VRRP Backup Master acts as an IP router for packets
destined for the logical VRRP IP address. With the Backup Master router
enabled, the incoming host traffic is forwarded over the SMLT links as
normal. The Backup Master routes traffic received on the SMLT VLAN,
thus avoiding traffic flow across the IST trunk. This eliminates the potential
limitation in the available IST bandwidth and provides true load-sharing
capabilities.
ATTENTION
To avoid potential frame duplication problems, the VRRP Backup Master feature
for SMLT can be used only on interfaces defined for SMLT. It cannot be used in
conjunction with HUBs to avoid frame duplication.

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The Backup Master feature provides an additional benefit. Under normal

VRRP operation, a hello packet is sent every second. When three hellos are
not received, all switches automatically revert to master mode. This results
in a 3 second outage. When you are using VRRP in an SMLT environment,
and a link goes down, traffic is automatically forwarded to the remaining
ports configured for SMLT VRRP Backup Master. Because both switches
are processing traffic, the node immediately recognizes the VRRP state
change, so there is faster failure recovery (less than 1 second).
Network design considerations for SMLT with VRRP

When you enable the VRRP BackupMaster with SMLT, refer to the following
guidelines:
The VRRP virtual IP address and the VLAN IP address cannot be the
same.
Configure the hold-down timer for VRRP to a value approximately 150

percent of the IGP (Interior Gateway Protocol, such as RIP or OSPF)
convergence time to allow the IGP enough time to reconverge following
a failure. That is, if OSPF takes 40 seconds to reconverge, set the
holddown timer to 60 seconds.
Stagger the hold-down timers with ARP requests. This means that the
Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 does not have to run ARP at the same
time, causing excess CPU load. For example, if one node has the
hold-down timer set for 60 seconds, you can set the other to 65 seconds.
Enable hold-down times on both VRRP sides (Master and

BackupMaster).
Simple Loop Prevention Protocol

Simple Loop Prevention Protocol (SLPP) is used at the edge of a network to
prevent loops in an SMLT network if Spanning Tree is not used. Although
SLPP is focused on SMLT networks, it also works with other configurations.
Logical loops can occur in SMLT networks for the following reasons:
Misconfigurations occur (for example, when SMLT client devices are

erroneously directly connected together).
MLT is not operating correctly (for example, when a switch is connected

to the network using the default configuration without any MLT settings).
Problems occur with the edge switch (for example, when MLT or some
other form of link aggregation is not working).
You can detect loops with SLPP and the 8000 Series switch Loop Detection
feature.
If an SLPP test packetcalled an SLPP-packet data unit (SLPP-PDU) is
received by the originating switch SMLT port or by a peer aggregation switch
on the same VLAN, a loop exists and the port is disabled.
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Simple Loop Prevention Protocol
53
When you configure and enable SLPP, the switch control processor (CP)
sends an SLPP-PDU to the VLAN. If a loop exists on the VLAN, the
SLPP-PDU eventually returns to the originating port and is received by
the CP. The CP disables that port and a message appears on the console
describing why the port is disabled. A disabled port remains disabled until
you enable it. You can use the port auto enable feature to enable the port
after a predefined interval.
Figure 19 "SLPP frame" (page 53) shows the fields of an SLPP-PDU frame.
Figure 19
SLPP frame
Table 6 "SLPP frame fields" (page 53) describes the fields of the SLPP
frame.
Table 6
SLPP frame fields
Field
Description
DA
destination MAC address (the switch MAC

address with the multicast bit set)
SA
source MAC address (the switch MAC address)
PID
user-configurable protocol ID (the default is

0x8104)
Payload
contains three fields:

1. SLPP protocol version (one byte)
2. reserved (one byte)
3. VLAN ID (two bytes)
You must keep several factors in mind when you use SLPP:
SLPP-PDUs are forwarded on an individual VLAN basis.
SLPP-PDU reception and processing operates on a port only if

SLPP-RX is enabled on that port.
SLPP-PDUs are automatically forwarded on all ports of the VLANs that

are configured for SLPP.
The SLPP-PDU is sent out as a multicast packet and is constrained

to the VLAN on which it is sent.
The SLPP-PDU payload contains the VLAN ID. A separate SLPP-PDU

is sent for each VLAN.

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The SLPP-PDU packet transmission interval is configurable from 500

to 5000 milliseconds (ms). The default packet transmission interval
is 500 ms.
After an SLPP-PDU is received on a port that is a member of a multilink

trunk, port members with SLPP-RX enabled and RX-Threshold reached,
are disabled.
The SLPP-PDU can be received by the originating CP or the peer SMLT

CP. All other switches treat the SLPP-PDU as a normal multicast packet.
The switches ignore it and forward it to the VLAN.
SLPP-PDU transmission and reception operates only on ports for which

STP is in a forwarding state (if STP is enabled on one switch in the path).
You must enable SLPP packet receive on an individual port basis to

detect a loop:
SLPP packet reception can only be enabled on SMLT access ports
and never on SMLT IST ports or any SMLT square or full mesh
core ports.
Vary the SLPP packet receive threshold between the two core SMLT
switches so that if a loop is detected, the access ports on both
switches do not go down, avoiding SMLT client isolation.
SLPP is port-based, so a port is disabled if it receives SLPP-PDUs on

one or more VLANs on a tagged port. For example, if the SLPP packet
receive threshold is set to five, a port is shut down if it receives five
SLPP-PDUs from one or more VLANs on a tagged port.
SLPP does not have any hardware requirements or dependencies.
SLPP does not support jumbo frames on the ERS 8300 v4.0.
SLPP does not replace the functionality of Spanning Tree Protocol,

but is a supplement to help detect and prevent loops in the SMLT
environment. Nortel recommends that you use this feature in an SMLT
environment only.
The ERS 8300 Series does not support the use of SLPP in an
LACP-SMLT environment.
For information about configuring Simple Loop Prevention Protocol, see

"Configuring Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page 103).
Port auto recovery

The port auto recovery feature can automatically enable a port shut down
by SLPP, CP-Limit or Link Flap Detect. When a port with auto recovery
enabled is operationally shut down by SLPP, CP-Limit, or Link Flap Detect,
the port is enabled within a specific, configurable time delay.

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VLAN, STG, and link aggregation feature support
55
To configure port auto recovery on an individual port basis, you must:
Configure a time delay for port auto recovery or use the ERS 8300
default time delay value.
Enable the port auto recovery feature on the required ports.
Port auto recovery is disabled on each port by default on the ERS 8300.
For information about configuring port auto recovery, see "Configuring port
auto recovery" (page 87).
For information about SLPP, see "Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page
52).
For information about CP-Limit, see "CP-Limit and SMLT IST" (page 41).
For information about Link Flap Detect, see Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch
8300 Configuration Platform Operations (NN46200-602).
VLAN, STG, and link aggregation feature support

Table 7 "VLAN, STG, and link aggregation support" (page 55) summarizes
the features supported on the Ethernet Routing Switch 8000 Series.
This table is subject to change. See the release notes that came with your
switch to obtain the latest scalability information.
Table 7
VLAN, STG, and link aggregation support
Feature
8348
8324
8393
Number of VLANs
See footnote 1
See footnote 1
See footnote 1
Port-based VLANs
Supported
Supported
Supported
Protocol-based
Supported
Supported
Supported
Source MAC-based
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
IEEE 802.1Q tagging
Supported
Supported
Supported
IP routing and VLANs
Supported
Supported
Supported
IPX routing
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
IPX VLANs
Supported
Supported
Supported
Default VLAN
Supported
Supported
Supported
Unassigned VLAN
Supported
Supported
Supported
Policy-based VLANs
Special VLANs

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Feature
8348
8324
8393
Brouter ports
Not supported
Not supported
Not supported
Number of spanning tree groups
64
64
64
Spanning Tree FastStart
Supported
Supported
Supported
Link aggregation groups
8348TX,
8348TX-PWR:
17
8348GTX,
8348GTX-PWR,
8348GB: 131
8324FX: 17
8324GTX: 131
131
Number of links per link aggregation

group
See footnote 1
See footnote 1
See footnote 1
Refer to Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 Release Notes Software Release 4.0
(NN46200-401) for the latest information about supported software and hardware capabilities.

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Configuring VLANs
With a VLAN, you can divide your LAN into smaller groups without interfering
with the physical network. You can use VLANs to:
Create workgroups for common interest groups.
Create workgroups for specific types of network traffic.
Add, move, or delete members from these workgroups without making

any physical changes to the network.
By dividing the network into separate VLANs, you can create separate
broadcast domains. This conserves bandwidth, especially in networks
supporting broadcast and multicast applications that flood the network with
traffic. A VLAN workgroup can include members from a number of dispersed
physical segments on the network, improving traffic flow between them.
The ERS 8300 performs the layer 2 switching functions necessary to
transmit information within VLANs as well as the layer 3 routing functions
necessary for VLANs to communicate with one another. A VLAN can be
defined for a single switch or it can span multiple switches. A port can be a
member of multiple VLANs.
This chapter describes using Device Manager to configure VLANs on the
ERS 8300 and includes the following topics:
"Understanding VLAN ports" (page 57)
"Displaying defined VLANs" (page 58)
"Creating a VLAN" (page 60)
"Managing a VLAN" (page 68)
"Managing the VLAN forwarding database" (page 76)
"Configuring port auto recovery" (page 87)
Understanding VLAN ports

A VLAN is made up of a group of ports that define a logical broadcast
domain. These ports can belong to a single switch, or they can be spread
across multiple switches. In a VLAN-aware switch, every frame received
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58 Configuring VLANs
on a port is classified as belonging to only one VLAN. Whenever a

broadcast, multicast, or unknown destination frame needs to be flooded by
a VLAN-aware switch, the frame is sent out through only the other active
ports that are members of this VLAN.
The default switch configuration groups all ports into the port-based default
VLAN 1. This VLAN cannot be deleted from the system, and is statically
bound to the Default STG.
The ERS 8300 supports port-based VLANs and policy-based VLANs.
A non-tagged port can belong to multiple VLANs, as long as the VLANs are
not of the same type but are in the same spanning tree group.
For conceptual information about VLANs, see "VLANs" (page 17).
For instructions to configure IP Proxy Address Resolution Protocol (ARP),
see Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 Configuration IP Routing and
Multicast Operations using Device Manager (NN46200-505).
Displaying defined VLANs

To display all defined VLANs, their configurations, and their current status,
select VLAN > VLANs from the Device Manager main menu.
The VLAN dialog box appears, with the Basic tab selected and displays all
defined VLANs. See Figure 20 "VLAN dialog box - Basic tab" (page 58).
Figure 20
VLAN dialog box - Basic tab
Table 8 "VLAN - Basic tab fields" (page 59) describes the fields that appear
on the Basic tab of the VLAN dialog box. These fields also appear on the
VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box.

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Table 8
VLAN - Basic tab fields
Field
Description
Id
VLAN ID (14000) for the VLAN.
Name
Name of the VLAN.
Color Identifier
A proprietary color scheme to associate a color with the

VLAN. Color does not affect how frames are forwarded.
Type
Type of VLAN:
byPort
byIpSubnet
byProtoco Id
StgId
The ID of the spanning tree group, to which the VLAN

belongs.
PortMembers
The slot/port of each possible VLAN member.
ActiveMembers
The slot/port of each activeVLAN member.
StaticMembers
The slot/port of each static (always) member of a

protocol-based VLAN.
NotAllowToJoin
The slot/ports that are never allowed to become a member

of the protocol-based VLAN.
ProtocolId
Specify the network protocol for protocol-based VLANs.

This value is taken from the Assigned Numbers RFC.
None (the VLAN type is port-based)
ip (IP version 4)
ipx802dot3 (Novell IPX on Ethernet 802.3 frames)
ipx802dot2 (Novell IPX on IEEE 802.2 frames)
ipxSnap (Novell IPX on Ethernet SNAP frames)
ipxEthernet2 (Novell IPX on Ethernet Type 2 frames)
appleTalk (AppleTalk on Ethernet Type 2 and Ethernet

SNAP frames)
decLat (DEC LAT protocol)
decOther (Other DEC protocols)
sna802dot2 (IBM SNA on IEEE 802.2 frames)
snaEthernet2 (IBM SNA on Ethernet Type 2 frames)
netBIOS (NetBIOS protocol)

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Field
Description
xns (Xerox XNS)
vines (Banyan VINES)
ipv6 (IP version 6)
usrDefined (user-defined protocol)
RARP (Reverse Address Resolution protocol)
UserDefinedPidList
Specify the 16-bit user-defined network protocol

identifier when the ProtocolId is set to usrDefined for a
protocol-based VLAN type.
SubnetAddr
The source IP subnet address (IP subnet-based VLANs

only).
SubnetMask
The source IP subnet mask (IP subnet-based VLANs

only).
Encap
This encapsulation is the type for user defined protocol

based VLANs and is not meaningful for other types of
VLANs. The default value is null.
QosLevel
Indicates the quality of service level of the destination

Mac Address for incoming frames on this VLAN.
level0 (lowest priority)
level1 (default)
level2
level3
level4
level5
level6
level7 (highest priority)
Creating a VLAN
This section includes the following topics for creating VLANs:
"Creating a port-based VLAN" (page 61)
"Configuring an IP address for a VLAN" (page 62)
"Creating a protocol-based VLAN" (page 63)
"Configuring user-defined protocol-based VLANs" (page 66)
When creating a VLAN, keep in mind the rules described in "VLAN rules"
(page 25).
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Creating a VLAN
61
Creating a port-based VLAN

To create a port-based VLAN:
Step
Action
Select VLAN > VLANs from the Device Manager menu bar.
The VLAN dialog box appears, with the Basic tab selected. See
Figure 20 "VLAN dialog box - Basic tab" (page 58).
Click Insert.
The VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box appears. See "VLAN, Insert
Basic dialog box for port-based VLANs" (page 61).
VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box for port-based VLANs
Enter an unused VLAN ID (14000) in the Id field, or use the ID

provided.
(Optional) Type the VLAN name in the Name field, or use the name
provided.
(Optional) Click the down arrow and choose a color from the
dropdown menu in the Color Identifier field, or use the color
provided.

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Type or select a spanning tree group ID for the VLAN in the StgId
field.
Select the byPort option button in the Type field.
Click the ellipsis (...) in the PortMembers field.

The VlanPortMembers dialog box appears. See "VlanPortMembers
dialog box" (page 62).
VlanPortMembers dialog box
Click the ports to add to the VLAN. Ports that display in gray cannot
be added to the VLAN. (For example, you cannot select ports that
are not in the same STG as the new VLAN.)
10
Click Ok.
The VlanPortMembers dialog box closes and the port members
appear in the VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box.
11
Click Insert.
The VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box closes and the VLAN appears in
the Basic tab.
12
Do one of the following:
If you are not assigning an IP address to the VLAN, click Close.

The VLAN is configured and the VLAN dialog box closes.
If you are assigning an IP address to the VLAN, see "Configuring

an IP address for a VLAN" (page 62).
End
Configuring an IP address for a VLAN

To configure an IP address for a VLAN:
Step
Action

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Creating a VLAN
63
Select the VLAN you are configuring an IP address for.

The VLAN is highlighted.
Click IP.
The IP, VLAN dialog box appears for the VLAN. See "IP, VLAN dialog
box" (page 63).
IP, VLAN dialog box
Click Insert.
The IP, VLAN, Insert IP Address dialog box appears. See "IP, VLAN,
Insert IP Address dialog box" (page 63).
IP, VLAN, Insert IP Address dialog box
Enter an IP address and netmask for routing.
Click Insert.
Click Close.
The Insert IP Address dialog box closes and the IP address and
netmask appear in the IP, VLAN dialog box.
Click Close in the IP, VLAN dialog box.
Click Close in the VLAN dialog box.

The IP address is configured.
End
Creating a protocol-based VLAN

To create a protocol-based VLAN:

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Step
Action
The VLAN dialog box appears, with the Basic tab is selected. See
Click Insert.
Basic dialog box for port-based VLANs" (page 61).
Select the byProtocolId option button in the Type field.

The dialog box activates fields needed to set up protocol-based
VLANs. See "VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box for protocol-based
VLANs" (page 64).
VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box for protocol-based VLANs
Type the unique VLAN ID in the Id field, or use the ID provided.
(Optional) Type the VLAN name in the Name field, or use the name
provided.
(Optional) Select a color from the dropdown menu in the Color

Identifier field, or use the color provided.

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65
This color is used by VLAN Manager to visually distinguish the

VLANs in a network.
7
Select the spanning tree group ID for the VLAN in the StgID field.

VlanPortMembers dialog box
10
Click Ok.
When a protocol-based VLAN is created, all ports in the underlying
STG are automatically added as members, unless they are already
members of an existing protocol-based VLAN of the same type.
11
Select a protocol ID option button in the ProtocolId field.

To configure a non-standard protocol, see "Configuring user-defined
protocol-based VLANs" (page 66).
12
Click a level option button (0-7) in the QosLevel field.
13
Click Insert.
The VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box closes, and the protocol-based
VLAN is added to the Basic tab of the VLAN dialog box.
14
Do one of the following:
If you are not configuring an IP address for the VLAN, click

Close.
The VLAN is configured and the VLAN dialog box closes.
If you are configuring an IP address for the VLAN, see

"Configuring an IP address for a VLAN" (page 62).
End

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Configuring user-defined protocol-based VLANs

You can create user-defined, protocol-based VLANs in support of networks
with non-standard protocols.
To create a user-defined protocol-based VLAN:
Step
Action
Click Insert.
Basic: insert a user-defined, protocol-based VLAN" (page 67).
Select the byProtocolId option button in the Type field.

Click Ok.
Select the usrDefined option button in the ProtocolId field.

The UserDefinedPidList field becomes editable. See "VLAN, Insert
Basic: insert a user-defined, protocol-based VLAN" (page 67).

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67
VLAN, Insert Basic: insert a user-defined, protocol-based VLAN
Enter the PID for the protocol in a four-digit hexadecimal range or

list format in the UserDefinedPidList field.
You can specify up to a maximum of eight PIDs for a user-defined
VLAN. You can specify the PIDs as a range separated by dashes
(-), or individual PIDs separated by commas (,) or a combination of
the two. For example, you can specify 9001-9004 or 9001, 9002,
9003, 9004 or 9001, 9003-9009.
For information about PIDs that cannot be used, see "User-defined
protocol-based VLANs" (page 21).
Select an encapsulation option button in the Encap field.
10
Select a level option button (0-7) in the QosLevel field.
11
Click Insert.
The VLAN, Insert Basic dialog box closes, and the protocol-based
VLAN is added to the Basic tab of the VLAN dialog box.
12
Click Apply.
13
Click Close.
The non-standard protocol-based VLAN is configured.

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End
Managing a VLAN
"Changing VLAN port membership" (page 68)
"Configuring advanced VLAN features" (page 69)
"Configuring a VLAN to accept tagged or untagged frames" (page 71)
"Configuring a MAC address for auto-learning on a VLAN" (page 73)
"Modifying auto-learned MAC addresses" (page 75)
After a VLAN is created, you cannot change its type. You must first delete
the VLAN, and then create a new VLAN of a different type.
Changing VLAN port membership

To change the port membership of a VLAN:
Step
Action
Select VLAN > VLANs on the Device Manager menu bar.

Double-click the PortMembers field for the VLAN whose ports you
want to change.
The PortMembers, VLAN dialog box for the VLAN appears. See
"PortMembers, VLAN dialog box" (page 68).
PortMembers, VLAN dialog box
Click the port members to add or remove. Ports that display in gray
cannot be added to the VLAN. (For example, you cannot select ports
that are not in the same STG.)
Click Ok.
The PortMembers dialog box closes and the changes appear in
the Basic tab.

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Managing a VLAN
Click Apply.
Click Close.
69
The port membership for the VLAN is changed and the VLAN dialog
box closes.
End
Configuring advanced VLAN features

The Advanced tab contains advanced fields, including the Vlan Operation
Action field, which is useful when troubleshooting.
Step
Action
Click the Advanced tab.

The Advanced tab appears. See "VLAN dialog box - Advanced tab"
(page 69).
VLAN dialog box - Advanced tab
End
Table 9 "VLAN - Advanced tab fields" (page 70) describes the VLAN
Advanced tab fields.

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Table 9
VLAN - Advanced tab fields
Field
Description
Id
The VLAN ID.
Name
The name of the VLAN.
IfIndex
The logical interface index assigned to the VLAN.
Type
Type of VLAN:
byPort
byIpSubnet
byProtocolId
MacAddress
The MAC address assigned to the virtual router interface for this
VLAN. This field applies only when the VLAN is configured for
routing. This MAC address is used as the Source MAC in routed
frames and ARP replies.
Vlan Operation Action
One of the following VLAN-related actions:
none None of the following updates are made.
flushMacFdb flush MAC forwarding table for VLAN
flushArp flush ARP table for VLAN
flushIp flush IP route table for VLAN. When this command

is executed, a RIP request is immediately sent out to solicit
the updated RIP routes.
all flush all tables for VLAN. When this command is

executed, a RIP request is immediately sent out to solicit
the updated RIP routes.
flushSnoopMem flush IGMP Snoop Members
flushSnoopMRtr flush snoop multicast router
Result
Result code for action.
UserDefinedPidList
User-defined protocol ID list if the user selected and defined a

protocol type.
Encap
This encapsulation is for user-defined protocol-based VLANs.

The default value is null.

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71
Field
Description
UpdateDynamicMacQosLevel
This field is used to indicate whether to update the QoS level

for dynamically learned MAC addresses associated with a
subnet-based or protocol-based VLAN. If it is set to ENABLE, the
QoS level for all dynamically learned MAC addresses is changed
when changing the VLAN QoS level. If set to DISABLE, when
a MAC address is learned, the QoS level is not updated when
the VLAN QoS level changes.
QosLevel
Indicate the quality of service level of the destination Mac

Address of incoming frames on this VLAN.
level1 (default)
level2
level3
level4
level5
level6
Configuring a VLAN to accept tagged or untagged frames

To configure a VLAN to accept tagged or untagged frames from a port:
Step
Action
Select the port in the Device Manager main window.

The port is highlighted.
Select Edit > Port from the Device Manager menu bar.
The Port dialog box appears with the Interface tab selected. See
"Port dialog box - Interface tab" (page 72).
The tab label varies, depending on the module that you selected.

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Port dialog box - Interface tab
Click the VLAN tab.

The VLAN tab appears. See "Port dialog box - VLAN tab" (page 72).
Port dialog box - VLAN tab
To configure tagging on the port, select the PerformTagging check

box. This setting is applied to all VLANs associated with the port.

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73
If the check box is selected, tagging is enabled. All frames sent

from this port are tagged. You can either discard the tagged
frames (go to Step 5), send untagged frames to the default VLAN
(go to Step 6), or forward them to a VLAN (go to Step 7).
If the check box is cleared, tagging is disabled. The port does not
send tagged frames. The switch removes the tag before sending
the frame out the port. You can either discard the untagged
frames (go to Step 5), send untagged frames to the default VLAN
(go to Step 6), or forward them to a VLAN (go to Step 7).
When you enable tagging on an untagged port, the previous

configuration of VLANs and STGs for the port is lost. In addition,
the port resets and runs Spanning Tree Protocol, thus breaking
connectivity while the protocol goes through the normal blocking and
learning states before the forwarding state.
5
To discard untagged frames on a port with tagging enabled, select

the DiscardUntaggedFrames check box.
To designate a default VLAN to associate with untagged frames,

select the UntagPortDefaultVlan check box.
To designate a default VLAN to associate with discarded frames,

enter a VLAN ID in the DefaultVlanId field (or use the default VLAN
1).
Click Apply.
Click Close.
Tagging is configured for the port.
End
Configuring a MAC address for auto-learning on a VLAN

You can manually configure a MAC address for auto-learning on a VLAN
port.
To manually configure a MAC address on a VLAN port:
Step
Action
Select VLAN > MAC Learning from the Device Manager menu bar.
The VlanMacLearning dialog box appears with the Manual Edit
tab selected. See "VlanMacLearning dialog box - Manual Edit tab"
(page 74).

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VlanMacLearning dialog box - Manual Edit tab
Click Insert.
The VlanMacLearning, Insert Manual Edit dialog box appears. See
"VlanMacLearning, Insert Manual Edit dialog box" (page 74).
VlanMacLearning, Insert Manual Edit dialog box
Enter the source MAC address in the Address field.
Click the ellipsis (...) in the Ports field.

The BridgeManualEditPorts dialog box appears, showing the
available ports. See "BridgeManualEditPorts dialog box" (page 74).
BridgeManualEditPorts dialog box
Click the port numbers of the ports you want to perform VLAN MAC
learning.
Click Ok.
The BridgeManualEditPorts dialog box closes and the port
numbers are added to the Insert Manual Edit dialog box.
Click Insert.
The Insert Manual Edit dialog box closes and the MAC address and
ports are added to the Manual Edit tab of the VlanMacLearning
dialog box.
Click Apply.
Click Close.
VLAN MAC learning is configured and the dialog box closes.

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Managing a VLAN
75
End
Table 10 "VlanMacLearning - Insert Manual Edit tab fields" (page

75) describes the Insert Manual Edit tab fields.
Table 10
VlanMacLearning - Insert Manual Edit tab fields
Field
Description
Address
The source MAC address of an entry.
Ports
The allowed ports the MAC address of this entry is learned on.
Modifying auto-learned MAC addresses

Use theAuto Learn tab to change a MAC address that was automatically
learned to one that can be edited manually.
To modify a MAC address that was automatically learned:
Step
Action
Select VLAN > MAC Learning on the Device Manager menu bar.
The VlanMacLearning dialog box appears with the Manual Edit
tab selected. See "VlanMacLearning dialog box - Manual Edit tab"
(page 74).
Click the Auto Learn tab.

The Auto Learn tab appears, displaying any MAC addresses that
were automatically learned. See "VlanMacLearning dialog box Auto Learn tab" (page 75).
VlanMacLearning dialog box - Auto Learn tab
Double-click the address in the Auto Learn Action field that

you want to change, and select convertToManualEdit from the
drop-down menu.
Click Apply.
The Auto Learn Action is changed.

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End
VlanMacLearning - Auto Learn tab fields describes the VLAN Auto Learn
tab fields.
Managing the VLAN forwarding database

In the ERS 8300, each VLAN has its own forwarding database.
"Viewing the forwarding database" (page 77)
"Clearing learned MAC addresses from the forwarding database" (page

79)
"Configuring static forwarding" (page 80)
"About MAC-layer bridge packet filtering" (page 83)
"Configuring VLAN forwarding database filters" (page 83)
Configuring aging in the VLAN forwarding database

To configure the VLAN forwarding database aging timeout period:
Step
Action
The VLAN dialog box appears with the Basic tab selected. See
Select a VLAN in the VLAN dialog box.
Click Bridge.
The Bridge, VLAN dialog box appears with the Transparent tab
selected. See "Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Transparent tab" (page
76).
The tab displays learned entry discards.
Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Transparent tab

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Enter an interval in seconds (10 - 1000000) in the FdbAging field

for aging out dynamically learned forwarding information, or keep
the default (300 seconds).
Click Apply.
Click Close.
77
The changes are applied and the Bridge, VLAN dialog box closes.
End
Table 11 "Bridge ,VLAN dialog box - Transparent tab fields" (page

77) describes the Transparent tab fields on the Bridge, VLAN dialog box.
Table 11
Bridge ,VLAN dialog box - Transparent tab fields
Field
Description
FdbAging
The timeout period in seconds for aging out

dynamically learned forwarding information.The
IEEE 802.1D-1990 standard recommends a default
of 300 seconds. The actual aging time is up to twice
the Fdb Aging value you assigned.
Viewing the forwarding database

The Forwarding tab shows the forwarding database for the VLAN, and
contains unicast information about bridge forwarding and filtering.This
information is used by transparent bridging to determine how to forward a
received frame.
To access the Forwarding tab:
Step
Action
Click Bridge.
76).
Click the Forwarding tab.

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The Forwarding tab appears. See "Bridge, VLAN dialog box Forwarding tab" (page 78).
Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Forwarding tab
End
Table 12 "Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Forwarding tab fields" (page

78) describes the Bridge, VLAN dialog box, Forwarding tab fields.
Table 12
Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Forwarding tab fields
Field
Description
Status
Values include:
self one of the bridges addresses
learned a learned entry that is used
mgmt a static entry
MacAddress
A unicast MAC address that the bridge has forwarding and

filtering information for.
VlanId
Specifies the virtual LAN identifier.
Port
Either a value of zero (0) or the port number of the port, on

which a frame having the specified MAC address is seen. A
value of 0 indicates a self-assigned MAC address.
QosLevel
Indicate the quality of service level of the incoming frames

with this destination Mac Address.
level1 (default)
level2
level3
level4
level5
level6

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Field
79
Description
SmltRemote
Specifies if you want to use SMLT.
Clearing learned MAC addresses from the forwarding database

For troubleshooting, you can manually flush the bridge forwarding database
of learned MAC addresses. This operation can be done for all MAC
addresses using one of the following procedures:
"Clearing learned MAC addresses by VLAN" (page 79)
"Clearing learned MAC addresses for all VLANs by port" (page 80)
Clearing learned MAC addresses by VLAN

To clear the forwarding database of learned MAC addresses for a VLAN:
Step
Action
The VLAN dialog box appears with the Basic tab selected.
SeeFigure 20 "VLAN dialog box - Basic tab" (page 58).
Click the Advanced tab.

The Advanced tab appears.
Double-click the VLAN Operation Action field for a specific VLAN,

and select flushMacFdb from the drop-down menu. See "VLAN
dialog box - Advanced tab: flushing the forwarding database" (page
79).
VLAN dialog box - Advanced tab: flushing the forwarding database
Click Apply.
The VLAN is set for flushing the bridge forwarding database

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End
Clearing learned MAC addresses for all VLANs by port

To clear learned MAC addresses from the forwarding database for all
VLANs by port:
Step
Action
Select a port from the Device Manager Main window.

The port is highlighted.
Select Edit > Port from the menu bar.

The Port dialog box appears with the Interface tab selected. See
"Port dialog box - Interface tab" (page 72).
Select the FlushMacFdb option button in the Action field.
Click Apply.
Click Close.
All learned MAC addresses are cleared from the forwarding
database for VLANs associated with this port.
End
Configuring static forwarding

To configure forwarding information:
Step
Action
Click Bridge.
76).
Click the Static tab.

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81
The Static tab appears. See "Bridge, VLAN - Static tab" (page 81).
Bridge, VLAN - Static tab
Click Insert.
The Bridge, VLAN, Insert Static dialog box appears. See "Bridge,
VLAN, Insert Static dialog box" (page 81).
Bridge, VLAN, Insert Static dialog box
Enter a forwarding destination MAC address in the MacAddress

field.
Click the ellipsis (...) in the Port field.

The Bridge Static Port dialog box appears.
Click the number for the port that the frame is received on.
Click Ok.
The Bridge Static Port dialog box closes and the selected port
appears in the Bridge, VLAN, Insert Static dialog box.
10
Select a quality of service level (0 - 8) option button in the QosLevel

field, or use the default (level 1).
11
Click Insert.
The Bridge, VLAN, Insert Static dialog box closes and the static
information appears in the Static tab of the Bridge, VLAN dialog
box.
12
Click Close.
The static forwarding information is configured, and the Bridge,
VLAN dialog box closes.

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End
Table 13 "Bridge , VLAN - Static tab fields" (page 82) describes the Static
tab fields on the Bridge, VLAN dialog box.
Table 13
Bridge , VLAN - Static tab fields
Field
Description
MacAddress
The destination MAC address in a frame, to which this entrys

forwarding information applies. This object can take the value of
a unicast address.
Port
The port number of the port that the frame is received on.
VlanId
QosLevel
Indicate the quality of service level of the incoming frames with

this destination Mac Address.
Status
level1 (default)
level2
level3
level4
level5
level6
In the Static tab, displays one of the following states for this entry:
permanent in use and remains so after the next bridge

reset. This value is the default
deleteOnReset in use and remains so until the next

bridge reset
deleteOnTimeout currently in use and remains so until

it is aged
other in use but the conditions under which it remains so,

are different from other values

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83
About MAC-layer bridge packet filtering

To perform MAC-layer bridging, the switch must know the destination
MAC-layer address of each device on each attached network so it can
forward packets to the appropriate destination. MAC-layer addresses are
stored in the bridging table, and you can filter packet traffic based on the
destination MAC-layer address information.
The MAC filtering supported in the ERS 8300 is the Bridge MIB filtering
(RFC 1493). The number of MAC filters is limited to 100. You create a filter
entry in much the same way as you create a static MAC entry; by entering
a MAC address and the port it resides on. In the MAC filter record, you
also specify the ports for which to discard source or destination packets for
the MAC address on a port.
Configuring VLAN forwarding database filters

To configure a filter:
Step
Action
From the Device Manager menu bar, select VLAN > VLANs.
From the VLAN dialog box, select a VLAN.
Click Bridge.
76).
Click the Filter tab.
Click Insert.
The Bridge, VLAN, Insert Filter dialog box appears. See "Bridge,
VLAN, Insert Filter dialog box" (page 83).
Bridge, VLAN, Insert Filter dialog box

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Enter the MAC address, in the MacAddress field, used to match the
destination address of incoming packets.
Click the (...) in the Port field.

The BridgeFilterPort dialog box appears.
Select the port number for this MAC address.
Click Ok.
The BridgeFilterPort dialog box closes and the port is added to the
Port field on the Bridge, VLAN, Insert Filter dialog box.
10
11
Select a drop method option button in the DropCommand field:
none: No packets are dropped.
srcDrop: Drops packets with this source MAC address.
dstDrop: Drops packets with this destination MAC address.
bothDrop: Drops packets with this source and destination MAC

address.
Click Insert.
The Bridge, VLAN, Insert Filter dialog box closes and the filter
appears in the Filter tab.
12
Click Close in the Bridge, VLAN dialog box.
13
Click Close in the VLAN dialog box.

The filter is configured.
End
Table 14 "Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Filter tab fields" (page 84) describes
the Bridge, VLAN dialog box, Filter tab fields.
Table 14
Bridge, VLAN dialog box - Filter tab fields
Field
Description
MacAddress
The MAC address of this entry. This address is used to match

the destination address of incoming packets.
VlanId
Port
The port that this MAC address is found on.

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Field
Description
DropCommand
Specify a drop method:
QosLevel
Status
85
none: No packets are dropped.
srcDrop: Drops packets with this source MAC address.
dstDrop: Drops packets with this destination MAC

address.
bothDrop: Drops packets with this source and destination

MAC address.
Indicate the quality of service level of the incoming frames

with this destination Mac Address.
level1 (default)
level2
level3
level4
level5
level6
Displays the status of this entry.
other(1)
invalid(2)
permanent(3), the default
deleteOnReset(4)
deleteOnTimeout(5)
Configuring Layer 2 multicast MAC filtering

Configure Layer 2 multicast MAC filtering to direct MAC multicast flooding to
a specific set of ports.
Procedure steps
Step
Action
From the Device Manager menu bar, choose VLAN > VLANs.

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The VLAN dialog box appears with the Basic tab displayed. The
Basic tab displays all defined VLANs, their configurations, and their
current status.
2
From the table, select a VLAN.
Click Bridge.
The Bridge dialog box appears with the FDB Aging tab displayed.
Click the Multicast tab.

The Multicast tab appears.
In the Multicast tab, click Insert.
In the Address box, type the MAC address for the multicast flooding
domain.
Click the ellipsis (...) next to the ForwardingPorts box and choose
from the list of ports that appear.
Click Ok.
Click the ellipsis (...) next to the MltIds box and choose from the list
of MLT IDs that appear.
10
Click Ok.
11
After you finish entering the required information in the dialog box,
click Insert.
End
Use the data in the following table to complete the Bridge, VLAN, Insert
Multicast tab.
Table 15
Bridge, VLAN, Insert Multicast tab fields
Variable
Value
Address
The MAC address for the multicast flooding

domain.This field does not accept MAC
addresses beginning with 01:00:5e
(01:00:5e:00:00:00 to 01:00:5e:ff:ff:ff inclusive).
If you attempt to use this type of address, the
following error message is displayed: Error:
Invalid MAV address

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Configuring port auto recovery
87
Variable
Value
ForwardingPorts
The ports to be included in the multicast flooding

domain.
MltIds
The multilink trunks that must be included in the

multicast flooding domain.

This section describes how to configure the port auto recovery feature on
the ERS 8300. The following topics are included:
"Configuring auto recovery delay time" (page 87)
"Enabling or disabling port auto recovery for a single port" (page 88)
"Enabling or disabling port auto recovery for multiple ports" (page 89)
Configuring auto recovery delay time

Perform the steps in this procedure to configure auto recovery delay time on
the ERS 8300.
Step
Action
From Device Manager, select Edit > Chassis.

The Chassis window appears with the System tab displayed.
Select the Chassis tab.
In the AutoRecoverDelay dialog box, type a value in the range of

5 to 3600 seconds.
Click Apply.
End

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Enabling or disabling port auto recovery for a single port

Perform the steps in the following procedure to enable or disable port auto
recovery for a single port on the ERS 8300.
Step
Action
From Device Manager, click a port.
From the Device Manager main menu, select Edit > Port.
OR
Right-click on the selected port and select Edit from the menu that
appears.
The edit port window for the selected port appears with the Interface
tab displayed.
To enable auto recovery on the port, select the AutoRecoverPort

check box.
OR
To disable auto recovery on the port, clear the AutoRecoverPort
check box.
Click Apply.
End

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89
Enabling or disabling port auto recovery for multiple ports

Perform the steps in the following procedure to enable or disable port auto
recovery for multiple ports on the ERS 8300.
Step
Action
Hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard.
From Device Manager, click on two or more ports.
From the Device Manager main menu, select Edit > Port.
OR
Right-click on one of the selected ports and select Edit from the
menu that appears.
The edit window for the selected ports appears with the Interface
tab displayed.
Double-click on the AutoRecoverPort box for one of the ports.
To enable auto recovery on the port, select true.

OR
To disable auto recovery on the port, select false.
Repeat steps 4 and 5 as required.
Click Apply.
End

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Configuring Spanning Tree Group

The operation of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) is defined in the IEEE
Std 802.1D. The Spanning Tree Protocol detects and eliminates logical
loops in a bridged or switched network. When multiple paths exist, the
spanning tree algorithm configures the network so that a bridge or switch
uses only the most efficient path. If that path fails, the protocol automatically
reconfigures the network to make another path become active, thus
sustaining network operations. You can control path redundancy for VLANs
by implementing the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP).
A network can include multiple instances of STP. The collection of ports in
one spanning tree instance is called a spanning tree group (STG).
This chapter includes the following topics:
"Spanning tree groups" (page 91)
"Configuring Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page 103)

Each STG consists of a collection of ports that belong to the same instance
of the STP protocol. These STP instances are completely independent
from each other (that is, they send their own BPDUs, they have their own
timers, and so on).
Multiple STGs are possible within the same switch; that is, the routing switch
can participate in the negotiation for multiple spanning trees.
This section describes using the Device Manager to create, manage, and
monitor spanning tree groups (STGs), and includes the following topics:
Understanding STGs and VLANs
"Configuring STG global settings" (page 92)
"Creating an STG" (page 92)
"Editing an STG" (page 95)
"Adding ports to an STG" (page 96)
"Viewing STG status" (page 96)

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92 Configuring Spanning Tree Group
"Viewing STG ports" (page 98)
"Enabling STP on a port" (page 101)
"Deleting an STG" (page 102)
"Configuring topology change detection" (page 102)
Configuring STG global settings

To configure STG global settings:
Step
Action
Select VLAN > STG from the Device Manager menu bar.
The STG dialog box appears, with the Globals tab selected. See
"STG dialog box - Globals tab" (page 92).
STG dialog box - Globals tab
Enter the MAC (multicast) address that sends BPDUs.

A default MAC address is assigned to an STG that you create.
BPDUs are sent from this MAC address. To change that default
MAC address, enter the MAC address of your choice in the
BpduStartMacAddress field.
In the BpduMacAddressMask box, identify the mask for the MAC

address that sends BPDUs.
Click Apply.
End
Creating an STG
To create anSTG:
Step
Action

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93
2
Click the Configuration tab.

The Configuration tab appears. See "STG dialog box - Configuration
tab" (page 93).
STG dialog box - Configuration tab
Click Insert.
The STG, Insert Configuration dialog box appears. See "STG, Insert
Configuration dialog box" (page 93).
STG, Insert Configuration dialog box
Use the fields in the STG, Insert Configuration dialog box to

configure the STG.
In the STG table, the STG ID and TaggedBpduVlanId must be unique.
If you change the STG ID without updating TaggedBpduVlandId, the
insertion can fail because of a duplicate TaggedBpduVlanId.
Click the ellipses (...) in the PortMembers field to add ports to the
STG.
The StgPortMembers dialog box appears. See "StgPortMembers

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StgPortMembers dialog box
Click the ports you want to add to the STG.
Click OK.
The StgPortMembers dialog box closes, and the ports are added to
the PortMembers field in the STG, Insert Configuration dialog box.
Click Insert.
The STG, Insert Configuration dialog box closes, and the STG
appears in the Configuration tab.
Click Apply.
The STG is configured.
End
Nontagged ports can belong to only one STG.

Table 16 "STG Configuration tab fields" (page 94) describes the STG
Configuration tab fields.
Table 16
STG Configuration tab fields
Field
Description
Id
The ID number for the STG.

The STG ID and TaggedBpduVlanId must be unique in the STG table.
If you change the STG ID without updating TaggedBpduVlanId, the
Priority
Sets the STP bridge priority. The range is 0 (highest priority) to 65535
(lowest priority). The default is 32768.
BridgeMaxAge
The value (in hundredths of a second) that all bridges use for MaxAge
when this bridge is acting as the root.
The 802.1D-1990 standard specifies that the BridgeMaxAge range
is related to the value of dot1dStpBridgeHelloTime. The default is
2000 (20 seconds)

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95
Field
Description
BridgeHelloTime
The value (in hundredths of a second) that all bridges use for
HelloTime when this bridge is acting as the root. The granularity of
this timer is specified by the IEEE 802.1D-1990 standard to be in
increments of 1/100 of a second. The default is 200 (2 seconds).
BridgeForwardDelay
The value (in hundredths of a second) that all bridges use for Forward
Delay when this bridge is acting as the root. The default is 1500
(15 seconds).
EnableSTP
Enables (check box is selected) or disables (check box is cleared) the

spanning tree algorithm for the STG.
StpTrapEnable
Enables SNMP traps to be sent to the trace receiver each time an

STP topology occurs (check box is selected).
TaggedBpduAddress
Represents a MAC address. This address is used specifically for

tagged BPDUs. This field is assigned by the system.
TaggedBpduVlanId
Represents the VLAN tag associated with the STG. This ID is used to
tag BPDUs through a non-IEEE tagging bridge to another Ethernet
Routing Switch 8000 Series.
By default, the TaggedBpduVlanId is an address calculated by Device
Manager based on the STG ID. Accepting the default value calculated
by Device Manager makes it much simpler to coordinate STGs across
multiple switches. If you enter a custom value for this field, you must
manually coordinate it across all switches.
The STG ID and TaggedBpduVlanId must be unique in the STG table.
If you change the STG ID without updating TaggedBpduVlanId, the
PortMembers
The ports you want to become members of the new STG.

Ports are not selectable if configured as members of any other STG.
Editing an STG
To edit anSTG:
Step
Action
The STG dialog box appears with the Globals tab selected. See

tab" (page 93).
Double-click the field that you want to edit.

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The field becomes editable.

4
Enter a new value in the field, or select a new setting from the
drop-down list.
Click Apply.
The changes are applied to the STG.
End
Adding ports to an STG

To add ports to an STG:
Step
Action

tab" (page 93).
Double-click the PortMembers field for the STG.

The STGPortMembers dialog box appears, indicating the port
members assigned to this STG. See "StgPortMembers dialog box"
(page 94).
Click the ports you want to add to the STG.
Click OK.
The StgPortMembers dialog box closes, and the ports are added to
the PortMembers field in the Configuration tab.
Click Apply.
The ports are added to the STG.
End
Viewing STG status

With the Status tab, you can view the status of the spanning tree for each
STG associated with the network.
To view STG status:
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Step
Action
97
2
Click the Status tab.

The Status tab appears. See "STG dialog box - Status tab" (page
97).
End
STG dialog box - Status tab
Table 17 "STG Status tab fields" (page 97) describes the STG Status tab
fields.
Table 17
STG Status tab fields
Field
Description
BridgeAddress
The MAC address used by this bridge when it must be

referred to in a unique fashion.
NumPorts
The number of ports controlled by this bridging entity.
ProtocolSpecification
Indicates the version of the STP in use. The IEEE

802.1d implementations return ieee8021d.
TimeSinceTopologyChange
Indicates the time (in hundredths of a second) since the
last time a topology change was detected by the bridge
entity or STG.
TopChanges
A topology change trap is sent by a bridge when any of

its configured ports transitions from the Learning state
to the Forwarding state, or from the Forwarding state
to the Blocking state. The trap is not sent if a new root
trap is sent for the same transition. Implementation of
this trap is optional.

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Field
Description
DesignatedRoot
The bridge identifier of the root of the spanning tree

as determined by the STP. This value is used as the
Root Identifier parameter in all configuration BPDUs
originated by this node.
RootCost
The cost of the path to the root as seen from this bridge.
RootPort
The port number that offers the lowest cost path from
this bridge to the root bridge.
MaxAge
The maximum age of STP information learned from the

network on any port before it is discarded (in units of
hundredths of a second). This is the actual value that
this bridge is currently using.
HelloTime
The amount of time (in hundredths of a second) between

transmission of configuration BPDUs by this node on
any port when it is the root of the spanning tree. The
default value is 200 (2 seconds).
HoldTime
The time interval (in hundredths of a second), during

which no more than two configuration BPDUs are
transmitted by this node. The default value is 100 (1
second).
ForwardDelay
The time interval (in hundredths of a second) that

controls how fast a port changes its spanning state
(when moving toward the Forwarding state). The
value determines how long the port stays in each of
the Listening and Learning states, which precede the
Forwarding state. This value is also used when a
topology change is detected and is under way, to age all
dynamic entries in the Forwarding Database.
This value is the one this bridge is currently using, in
contrast to rcStgBridgeForwardDelay, which is the value
that this bridge and all others use if/when this bridge
becomes the root.
The default value is 1500 (15 seconds).
Viewing STG ports

Use the Ports tab to view the status of ports for each STG in the network.
To view STG ports:
Step
Action

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99
2
Click the Ports tab.

The Ports tab appears. See "STG dialog box - Ports tab" (page 99).
End
STG dialog box - Ports tab
Table 18 "STG Ports tab fields" (page 99) describes the Ports tab fields.
Table 18
STG Ports tab fields
Field
Description
Port
The port number that this entry contains STP management information
for.
StgId
The STG identifier assigned to this port.

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Field
Description
Priority
The value of the priority field contained in the first octet of the Port ID.
The second octet of the Port ID is defined by the value of rcStgPort
(the Port ID has only two octets).
Although port priority values range from 0255, only the following
values are used on the Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 Series: 0, 16,
32, 48, 64, 80, 96, 112, 128, 144, 160, 176, 192, 208, 224, 240. The
default value is 128.
State
The current state of the port as defined by the application of the STP:
disabled (1),
blocking (2),
listening (3),
learning (4),
forwarding (5),
broken (6)
This state controls what action a port takes on reception of the frame.
If the bridge detects a port malfunctioning, it places that port into the
broken (6) state. For ports that are disabled, the state has a value
of disabled.
EnableStp
FastStart
The STP state of the port.
Enabled BPDUs are processed in accordance with STP.
Disabled The port stays in a forwarding state, received BPDUs

are dropped and not processed, and no BPDU is generated.
When this flag is set, the port is moved to the forwarding (5) state
upon being enabled.
true (enables FastStart for the port)
false (default, disables FastStart for the port)
This setting is contrary to that specified in the IEEE 802.1D standard

for STP, in which a port enters the blocking state following the
initialization of the bridging device or configuration of the port (that is,
the port is enabled (from the disabled state) through configuration).

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Field
Description
PathCost
The contribution of this port to the path cost of paths toward the
spanning tree root that includes this port. The 802.1D-1990 protocol
recommends that the default value of this parameter be in inverse
proportion to the speed of the attached LAN.
DesignatedRoot
The unique Bridge Identifier of the bridge recorded as the root in the
configuration BPDUs. The configuration BPDUs are transmitted by the
Designated Bridge for the segment the port is attached to.
DesignatedCost
The path cost of the Designated Port of the segment connected to this
port. This value is compared to the Root Path Cost field in received
BPDUs.
DesignatedBridge
The Bridge Identifier of the bridge that this port considers to be the
Designated Bridge for this segment.
DesignatedPort
The Port Identifier Designated Bridge port for this segment.
ForwardTransitions
The number of times this port transitioned from the Learning state to
the Forwarding state.
ChangeDetection
The change detection setting (true or false) for this port. This value can
be configured on access ports only. If you enable change detection
on an MLT with access ports, the setting is automatically applied to
all ports in the MLT.See"Spanning Tree Protocol topology change
detection" (page 29).
Enabling STP on a port

To enable STP for a port:
Step
Action

The Ports tab appears.See "STG dialog box - Ports tab" (page 99).
Double-click the EnableStp field for the port you want to enable (if
the port is not enabled, false appears in the field).
The drop-down list appears.
Select true from the drop-down list.

The EnableStp field setting changes.
Click Apply.
STP is enabled for the port.

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End
Deleting an STG
To delete an STG:
Step
Action

tab" (page 93).
Select the STG that you want to delete.

All VLANs must be deleted from an STG before you can remove it.
Click Delete.
You cannot delete STG 1, the default STG.
End
Configuring topology change detection

To configure topology change detection on a port:
Step
Action

The Ports tab appears.See "STG dialog box - Ports tab" (page 99).
Double-click the ChangeDetection field for the port of your choice.

The drop-down list of change detection options appears.
Select one of the following from the drop-down list:
To enable change detection on the port, select true.
To disable change detection on the port, select false.

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103
Click Apply.
Change detection is configured for the port.
End
For more information, see "Spanning Tree Protocol topology change

detection" (page 29).

You can detect logical loops in SMLT networks with SLPP. For more
information about SLPP, see "Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page 52).
"Configuring SLPP globally" (page 103)
"Configuring the SLPP by VLAN" (page 104)
"Configuring the SLPP by port" (page 106)
SLPP does not support jumbo frames on the Ethernet Routing Switch 8300
v4.0.
Configuring SLPP globally

Perform the steps in the following procedure to configure Simple Loop
Prevention Protocol (SLPP) globally.
Step
Action
From the Device Manager menu bar, select VLAN > SLPP.
The Slpp window appears with the Global tab displayed.
Select the GlobalEnable check box.
In the TransmissionInterval dialog box, type a value for the time

interval for loop detection.

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In the EtherType dialog box, enter the SLPP protocol value as a

hexadecimal number.
Click Apply.
End
Table 19 "SLPP - Global tab fields" (page 104) describes the fields of the
SLPP Global tab.
Table 19
SLPP - Global tab fields
Field
Description
GlobalEnable
Globally enables or disables SLPP. The SLPP packet

transmission and reception process is active only when the SLPP
operation is enabled. When the SLPP operation is disabled, no
SLPP packet is sent, and any received SLPP packet is discarded.
TransmissionInterval
Sets the interval (in milliseconds), for which loop detection

occurs. The range is 500 5000 ms, and the default is 500 ms.
EtherType
Specifies the SLPP protocol identification. This value is

expressed in hexadecimal format, in the range of 1 65535.
Configuring the SLPP by VLAN

Step
Action
The Slpp box appears with the Global tab open.
Click the VLANS tab.

The VLANS tab appears.
Click Insert.
The Slpp, Insert VLANS window appears.

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105
Click the VlanID button (...).

The VlanId box appears.
Select a VLAN ID.
Click Ok.
Select the SlppEnable check box.
Click Insert.
The ID and status of the selected VLAN appears in the SlppVLANS
tab window.
End
Table 20 "SLPP - Insert VLANS window fields" (page 106) describes the
Slpp, Insert VLANS window fields.

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Table 20
SLPP - Insert VLANS window fields
Field
Description
VlanId
Specifies the VLAN.
SlppEnable
Enables SLPP transmission on the selected

VLAN.
Configuring the SLPP by port

To configure SLPP by port:
Step
Action
The Slpp box appears with the Global tab open.

The SlppPorts tab appears displaying all available ports.

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107
Double-click the SlppEnable box for a port and select true to enable
SLPP.
Click Apply.
End
Table 21 "SLPP - Ports tab fields" (page 107) describes the Slpp, Ports
tab fields.
Table 21
SLPP - Ports tab fields
Field
Description
IfIndex
Specifies the interface index number for a port.
PktRxThreshold
Specifies the threshold for packet reception

from 1 500. After a port reaches the packet
threshold, it is disabled.
SlppEnable
Enables or disables SLPP on the selected

IfIndex.
IncomingVlanId
VLAN ID of the classified packet on a port

disabled by SLPP.
SrcNodeType
Specifies the source node type of the received

SLPP packet.

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109
Configuring static link aggregation

Link aggregation is a point-to-point connection that aggregates multiple
ports so that they logically act like a single port with the aggregated
bandwidth. Grouping multiple ports into a logical link provides higher
aggregate throughput on a switch-to-switch or switch-to-server application.
Link aggregation provides media and module redundancy.
The Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 supports link aggregation in a static
configuration mode where no LACP is used. The Ethernet Routing Switch
8300 link aggregation interoperates with Baystack and Ethernet Routing
Switch 8600 link aggregation, also referred to as MLT.
This chapter describes how to configure static link aggregation in your
network, and includes the following topics:
"Link aggregation traffic distribution" (page 30)
"Adding a link aggregation group" (page 110)
"Adding ports to a link aggregation group" (page 113)
"Viewing link aggregation interface statistics" (page 114)
"Viewing link aggregation Ethernet error statistics" (page 116)
"Viewing link aggregation interface utilization statistics" (page 119)
"Configuring SMLT" (page 120)
For conceptual information, see "Static link aggregation" (page 29).
Link aggregation traffic distribution

Static aggregation groups can be used to aggregate bandwidth between
two switches. The Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 distributes traffic by
determining the active port in a link aggregation group that can be used for
each outgoing packet. Link aggregation group algorithms are intended
to provide load-sharing while ensuring that packets do not arrive out of
sequence.

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110 Configuring static link aggregation
The Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 determines the port that a packet is
transmitted through, using one of the following methods:
tabulating the trunks and their active assigned port members for each
link aggregation group
Ports defined as trunk members are written to the table in the order
they were activated. If a link goes down, the table is rewritten with one
less trunk member.
using a selected index, based on traffic type and hashing algorithm.
Adding a link aggregation group

To add a link aggregation group:
Step
Action
From the Device Manager menu bar, select VLAN > MLT .
The MLT dialog box appears and displays active link aggregation
groups. See "MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks tab" (page 110).
MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks tab
See Table 22 "MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks fields" (page

112) for field descriptions.
2
Click Insert.
The MLT, Insert MultiLink Trunks dialog box appears. See "MLT,
Insert MultiLink Trunks dialog box" (page 111).

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Adding a link aggregation group
111
MLT, Insert MultiLink Trunks dialog box
In the Id box, type the ID number for the link aggregation group or
accept the ID provided.
Select either the access or trunk option button to specify the port
type.
In the Name box, type a name for the link aggregation group or
accept the default provided.
Click the button (...) in the PortMembers field to add ports to the link
aggregation group.
The MltPortMembers dialog box appears. See "MltPortMembers
MltPortMembers dialog box
In the MltPortMembers dialog box, click the ports to include in the

link aggregation group.
Click OK.
The MltPortMembers dialog box closes. The ports you selected
appear in the PortMembers field of the MLT, Insert MultiLink Trunks
dialog box.
Click the ellipsis button (...) in the VlanIds field to add a VLAN to
the link aggregation group.
The VlanIds dialog box appears. See "VlanIds dialog box" (page
112).

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VlanIds dialog box
10
Select a VLAN ID to add to the link aggregation group.
11
Click OK.
The VlanIds dialog box closes. The VLAN type is added to the
VlanIds field of the MLT, Insert MultiLink Trunks dialog box.
12
Clear the NtStgEnable check box if you prefer to use the

Cisco-compatible mode of Spanning Tree. See "Spanning Tree
modes" (page 28) for information about NTSTG.
13
Click Insert.
The link aggregation group is added to the MultiLink Trunks tab of
the MLT dialog box.
14
Click Apply.
The link aggregation group is added.
End
Table 22 "MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks fields" (page 112)defines the
MultiLink Trunks tab fields.
Table 22
MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks fields
Field
Description
Id
A value that uniquely identifies the link aggregation

group.
PortType
For Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet ports,

up to 7 MLTs (IDs 17) are supported.
For FastEthernet ports, up to 31 MLTs (IDs 131)

are supported.
Specifies the port type: access or trunk port.

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Adding ports to a link aggregation group
Field
Description
Name
The name you assign to the MLT.
PortMembers
The ports assigned to the link aggregation group.
113
MLT is supported on 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX,

100BASE-FX, Gigabit Ethernet ports, and 10 Gigabit
Ethernet ports. All ports in an MLT must be of the same
media type and have the same settings for speed and
duplex. All ports must belong to the same STG.
For Ethernet Routing Switch 8300 modules, up to eight
same-type ports can belong to a single MLT.
VlanIds
The VLANs to add to the link aggregation group.
MltType
Specifies the type of multilink trunk:
RunningType
normalMLT
istMLT
splitMLT
A read-only field that displays the MLT operational type:
normalMLT
istMLT
splitMLT
SmltId
Indicates the MLT-based SMLT ID (an integer from

131).
IfIndex
A read-only field that displays the Interface Index

number (in the range 61446174) identifying the MLT
to the software.
NtStgEnable
NTSTG is enabled by default. Disable NTSTG to

automatically enable the Cisco-compatible Spanning
Tree mode (BPDUs are sent on only one link of the
aggregation group).
DesignatedPort
The Port Identifier Designated Bridge port for this

segment.
Adding ports to a link aggregation group

To add ports to an existing link aggregation group:
Step
Action

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groups. See "MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks tab" (page 110). For
field definitions, see Table 22 "MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks
fields" (page 112).
2
Double-click the PortMembers field for the group you want to add
ports to.
The MltPortMembers dialog box appears. See "MltPortMembers
Ports currently assigned to the selected link aggregation group are
selected. Available ports are editable.
In the MltPortMembers dialog box, do one of the following:
To add individual ports, click the port numbers to add.
To add all ports in a module, click the slot number.
To add all ports, click All.
Up to eight ports of the same type can belong to a single link

aggregation group.
4
Click OK.
The MltPortMembers dialog box closes. The port numbers are
added to the selected group on the MultiLink Trunks tab of the MLT
dialog box.
Click Apply.
The ports are added to the link aggregation group.
End

To view link aggregation interfacestatistics:
Step
Action
Select VLAN > MLT from the Device Manager menu bar.
Click in the row of a link aggregation group to select it..

The Graph button is activated.
Click the Graph button.

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The Statistics, MLT window appears, with the Interface tab displaying
interface statistics. See "Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface tab"
(page 115).
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface tab
End
Table 23 "Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface tab fields" (page 115) defines
the fields on the Interface tab.
Table 23
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface tab fields
Field
Description
InOctets
The total number of octets received on the MLT interface,

including framing characters.
OutOctets
The total number of octets transmitted out of the MLT

interface, including framing characters.
InUcastPkts
The number of packets delivered by this MLT to higher

level protocols that were not addressed to a multicast or
broadcast address at this sublayer.
OutUcastPkts
The number of packets that higher-level protocols requested

be transmitted that were not addressed to a multicast
address at this MLT.This total number includes those packets
discarded or unsent.
InMulticastPkt
The number of packets delivered to this MLT that were

addressed to a multicast address at this sublayer. For a
MAC layer protocol, this number includes both Group and
Functional addresses.

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Field
Description
OutMulticast
The total number of packets that higher-level protocols

requested be transmitted, and that were addressed to a
multicast address at this MLT, including those that were
discarded or not sent. For a MAC layer protocol, this number
includes both Group and Functional addresses.
InBroadcastPkt
The number of packets delivered to this MLT that were

addressed to a broadcast address at this sublayer.
OutBroadcast
The total number of packets that higher-level protocols

requested be transmitted, and that were addressed to a
broadcast address at this MLT, including those that were
discarded or not sent.
Viewing link aggregation Ethernet error statistics

To view link aggregation Ethernet error statistics:
Step
Action
Select VLAN >MLT from the Device Manager menu bar.

Click in the row of a link aggregation group to select it.


The Statistics, MLT dialog box appears, with the interface tab
selected.
Click the Ethernet Errors tab.

The Ethernet Errors tab appears, and displays the statistics. See
"Statistics, MLT dialog box - Ethernet Errors tab" (page 117).

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Viewing link aggregation Ethernet error statistics
117
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Ethernet Errors tab
End
Table 24 "Statistics, MLT dialog box - Ethernet Errors tab fields" (page
117) lists and defines the fields on the Ethernet Errors tab.
Table 24
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Ethernet Errors tab fields
Field
Description
AlignmentErrors
A count of frames received on a particular MLT that are not an

integral number of octets in length and do not pass the FCS check.
The count represented by an instance of this object is incremented
when the alignmentError status is returned by the MAC service to
the LLC (or other MAC user). Received frames with multiple error
conditions are, according to the conventions of IEEE 802.3 Layer
Management, counted exclusively according to the error status
presented to the LLC.
FCSErrors
A count of frames received on an MLT that are an integral number

of octets in length but do not pass the FCS check. The count
represented by an instance of this object is incremented when
the frameCheckError status is returned by the MAC service to the
LLC (or other MAC user). Received frames with multiple error
conditions are, according to the conventions of IEEE 802.3 Layer
Management, counted exclusively according to the error status
presented to the LLC.
IMacTransmitError
A count of frames, for which transmission on a particular MLT fails

due to an internal MAC sublayer transmit error. A frame is only
counted by an instance of this object if it is not counted by the
corresponding instance of either the LateCollisions object, the
ExcessiveCollisions object, or the CarrierSenseErrors object.

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Field
Description
IMacReceiveError
A count of frames, for which reception on a particular MLT fails due

to an internal MAC sublayer receive error. A frame is only counted
by an instance of this object if it is not counted by the corresponding
instance of either the FrameTooLongs object, the AlignmentErrors
object, or the FCSErrors object.
The precise meaning of the count represented by an instance of
this object is implementation specific. In particular, an instance of
this object can represent a count of receive errors on a particular
interface that are not otherwise counted.
CarrierSenseError
The number of times that the carrier sense condition was lost
or never asserted when attempting to transmit a frame on a
particular MLT. The count represented by an instance of this object
is incremented at most once per transmission attempt, even if the
carrier sense condition fluctuates during a transmission attempt.
FrameTooLong
A count of frames received on a particular MLT that exceed the

maximum permitted frame size. The count represented by an
instance of this object is incremented when the frameTooLong
status is returned by the MAC service to the LLC (or other MAC
user). Received frames with multiple error conditions are, according
to the conventions of IEEE 802.3 Layer Management, counted
exclusively according to the error status presented to the LLC.
SQETestError
A count of times that the SQE TEST ERROR message is generated

by the PLS sublayer for a particular MLT. The SQE TEST ERROR
message is defined in section 7.2.2.2.4 of ANSI/IEEE 802.3-1985
and its generation is described in section 7.2.4.6 of the same
document.
DeferredTransmiss
A count of frames, for which the first transmission attempt on a

particular MLT is delayed because the medium is busy. The count
represented by an instance of this object does not include frames
involved in collisions.
SingleCollFrames
A count of successfully transmitted frames on a particular MLT,

for which transmission is inhibited by exactly one collision. A
frame counted by an instance of this object is also counted
by the corresponding instance of either the OutUcastPkts
object, the OutMulticastPkts object, or the OutBroadcastPkts
object, and is not counted by the corresponding instance of the
MultipleCollisionFrames object.
MultipleCollFrames
A count of successfully transmitted frames on a particular MLT,

for which transmission is inhibited by more than one collision. A
frame counted by an instance of this object is also counted by
the corresponding instance of either the OutUcastPkts object, the
OutMulticastPkts object, or the OutBroadcastPkts object, and is not
counted by the corresponding instance of the SingleCollisionFrames
object.

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Viewing link aggregation interface utilization statistics
119
Field
Description
LateCollisions
The number of times that a collision is detected on a particular

MLT later than 512 bit-times into the transmission of a packet; 512
corresponds to 51.2 microseconds on a 10 Mb/s system. A (late)
collision included in a count represented by an instance of this
object is also considered as a (generic) collision for purposes of
other collision-related statistics.
ExcessiveCollis
A count of frames, for which transmission on a particular MLT fails

due to excessive collisions.
Viewing link aggregation interface utilization statistics

To view link aggregation interface utilization statistics:
Step
Action
Click in the row of a link aggregation group to select it.


The Statistics, MLT dialog box appears. The Interface tab is
selected.
Click the Interface Utilization tab.

The Interface Utilization tab appears. See "Statistics, MLT dialog
box - Interface Utilization tab" (page 119). For field definitions, see
Table 25 "Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface Utilization tab fields"
(page 120).
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface Utilization tab
End

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Table 25 "Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface Utilization tab fields" (page
120) defines the fields on the Interface Utilization tab.
Table 25
Statistics, MLT dialog box - Interface Utilization tab fields
Field
Description
InOctets
The total number of octets received on the MLT interface,

including framing characters.
InUtil
Percentage of MLT interface in use for incoming data during

the specified interval.
OutOctets
The number of packets delivered by this MLT to higher

level protocols that were not addressed to a multicast or
broadcast address at this sublayer.
OutUtil
Percentage of MLT interface in use for outgoing data during

the specified interval.
Configuring SMLT
This section describes how to configure Split MultiLink Trunking (SMLT)
and includes the following topics:
"Adding an MLT-based SMLT" (page 120)
"Viewing MLT-based SMLT information for the switch" (page 121)
"Configuring a single port SMLT" (page 122)
"Viewing single port SMLTs configured on the switch" (page 123)
"Deleting a single port SMLT" (page 124)
"Configuring an IST MLT" (page 124)
"Removing an IST MLT" (page 125)
"Viewing IST statistics" (page 126)
Adding an MLT-based SMLT

You can create an SMLT from the Multilink Trunks tab by selecting the MLT
type as SMLT and then specifying an SMLT ID.
To add an MLT-based SMLT:
Step
Action
The MLT dialog box appears with the MultiLink Trunks tab selected.
See "Multilink Trunks tab on the MLT dialog box" (page 121).

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Configuring SMLT
121
Multilink Trunks tab on the MLT dialog box
From the displayed list of MLTs, select an available MLT to configure

as an SMLT.
Double-click the PortMembers field in the row containing the MLT.

The PortMembers dialog box appears, displaying the available ports.
Click the ports to include in the MLT-based SMLT.

Fast Ethernet ports can be added to MLT IDs 17, while Gigabit
ports can be added to MLT IDs 131.
Click OK to close the PortMembers dialog box.

The ports are added to the PortMembers field of the MLT dialog box.
For the 8300 switch, a maximum of eight ports can belong to a
single MLT.
Double-click the MltType field, and select splitSMLT from the list.
Type an unused SMLT ID (131) in the SmltId field.

The corresponding SMLTs between aggregation switches must
have matching SMLT IDs. The same ID number must be used on
both sides.
Click Apply.
End
Viewing MLT-based SMLT information for the switch

To view information for SMLTs configured on the switch:
Step
Action
Select VLAN > SMLT from the Device Manager menu bar.
The SMLT dialog box appears with the Single Port SMLT tab
selected.
Select the SMLT Info tab.

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The SMLT Info tab appears and displays information for all SMLTs
configured on the switch. See "SMLT Info tab on the SMLT dialog
box" (page 122).
SMLT Info tab on the SMLT dialog box
End
SMLT Info tab fields describes the fields on the SMLT Info tab of the SMLT
dialog box.
Configuring a single port SMLT

Ports that are already configured as MLT or MLT-based SMLT cannot be
configured as a single port SMLT. You must first remove the split trunk, and
then reconfigure the ports as single port SMLT.
To configure a single port SMLT:
Step
Action
Select the port from the Device Manager main window.

The Port dialog box appears with the Interface tab selected.
Select the SMLT tab. See "SMLT tab on the Port dialog box" (page
122).
If the MltId field is not zero, the port is already configured as an
MLT or MLT-based SMLT. If so, you cannot configure a single port
SMLT on the port.
SMLT tab on the Port dialog box
Click Insert.

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Configuring SMLT
123
The Insert SMLT dialog box appears. See "Insert SMLT dialog box"
(page 123).
Insert SMLT dialog box
Enter an unused SMLT ID number (from 1512) in the SmltId field.
Click Insert.
The Insert SMLT dialog box closes, and the ID is entered in the
SmltId field of the SMLT tab.
End
Port SMLT tab fields describes the fields on the SMLT tab of the Port dialog
box. An empty table field indicates the port is not part of an MLT, and it is
not configured for single port SMLT.
Viewing single port SMLTs configured on the switch

To view the single port SMLTs configured on the switch:
Step
Action
Select VLAN > SMLT from the Device Manager menu bar.
The SMLT dialog box appears with the Single Port SMLT tab
selected, which displays all single port SMLTs configured on the
switch. See "Single Port SMLT tab on the SMLT dialog box" (page
123).
Single Port SMLT tab on the SMLT dialog box
End

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Single Port SMLT tab fields describes the fields on the Single Port SMLT tab.
Deleting a single port SMLT

To delete a single port SMLT:
Step
Action
Select the port from the Device Manager main window.

The Port dialog box appears with the Interface tab selected.
Select the SMLT tab.

The SMLT tab displays the single port SMLT ID.
Select the single port SMLT by selecting any field in the row.
Click Delete.
Click Close.
The single port SMLT configured for the port is deleted.
End
Configuring an IST MLT

To configure an IST MLT, perform the following procedure (this procedure
assumes you already configured at least one MLT):
Step
Action
Double-click the PortMembers field in the row containing the

desired MLT.
PortMembers dialog box appears.
Select the ports to include in the MLT.
Click OK to close the PortMembers dialog box.

The selected port members are added to the PortMembers field of
the MLT dialog box.
Double-click the MltType field.
Select istMLT from the list.

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Configuring SMLT
Click Apply.
Select any field in the row.

The IstMlt... button is activated.
Click the IstMlt... button.
125
The IST MLT dialog box appears. See "IST MLT dialog box" (page
125).
IST MLT dialog box
10
Enter a peer IP address in that field.
11
Enter a VLAN ID in that field
12
Select the enable option button in the SessionEnable: area.
13
Click Apply.
The IST MLT dialog box closes and the changes are applied. The
IST MLT is now configured.
End
IST MLT fields describes the fields for the IST MLT dialog box.
Removing an IST MLT

To remove an existing IST MLT from the switch:
Step
Action
Select the IST MLT you want to remove by clicking in any field.

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.
Click the IstMlt... button.

The IST MLT dialog box appears.
Select the disable option button to disable the IST MLT.
Click Apply.
Confirm disabling the IST MLT at the prompt.
Double-click the MltType field.
Select normalMLT from the list.
Click Apply.
End
Viewing IST statistics

To view IST statistics on an interface:
Step
Action
Click the Ist/SMLT Stats tab.

The IST protocol packet statistics are displayed. See "Ist/SMLT Stats
tab on the MLT dialog box" (page 127).

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Configuring SMLT
Ist/SMLT Stats tab on the MLT dialog box
End
Ist/SMLT Stats tab fields describes the fields for the Ist/SMLT tab of the
MLT dialog box.

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.
127
128
Index
A
ActiveMembers field 59
Adding a link aggregation group 110
Adding an MLT-based SMLT 120
Adding ports to a link aggregation group 113
Adding ports to an STG 96
AgingTime field 77
algorithm, link aggregation traffic
distribution 30
AlignmentErrors field 117
auto-recovery delay time 87
B
baby giant frames 23
BridgeAddress field 97
BridgeForwardDelay field 95
BridgeHelloTime field 95
BridgeMaxAge field 94
bridging
MAC-layer 83
viewing filters 83
C
CarrierSenseErrors field 118
change detection
about 29
configure 102
rules 29
Clearing learned MAC addresses 80
Color field 59
configuration
advanced VLAN features 69
protocol-based VLAN 63
spanning tree group 92

Configuring a single port SMLT 122
Configuring aging, VLAN forwarding
database 76
Configuring an IST MLT 124
Configuring auto recovery delay time 87
configuring port auto-recovery 87
Configuring SLPP globally 103
Configuring static forwarding 80
Configuring the SLPP by port 106
Configuring the SLPP by VLAN 104
customer support 14
D
DeferredTransmissions field 118
Deleting a single port SMLT 124
Deleting an STG 102
DesignatedBridge field 101
DesignatedCost field 101
DesignatedPort field 101, 113
DesignatedRoot field 98, 101
disabling port auto recovery 87
disabling port auto recovery for a single
port 88
disabling port auto recovery for multiple
ports 89
E
EnableStp field 95, 100
enabling port auto recovery for a single
port 88

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Index 129
enabling port auto recovery for multiple

ports 89
enabling port auto-recovery 87
Enabling STP on a port 101
ExcessiveCollisions field 119
MacAddress field 70, 78, 82, 84

MACAddress, auto-learned 75
MaxAge field 98
MLT, See static link aggregation 29, 109
MultipleCollisionFrames field 118
FastStart field 100

FCSErrors field 117
ForwardDelay field 98
forwarding database, flushing 79
forwarding database, viewing 77
ForwardTransitions field 101
frame
protocol-based VLAN 24
FrameTooLongs field 118
H
HelloTime field 98
HoldTime field 98
I
Id field, static link aggregation group 112
IEEE
802.1D 26
802.1Q 23, 31
IfIndex field 70, 113
InBroadcastPkt field 116
InMulticastPkts field 115
InOctets field 115
InternalMacReceiveErrors field 118
InternalMacTransmitErrors field 117
InUcastPkts field 115
L
LateCollisions field 119
M
MAC address auto-learning 73
MAC filtering Device Manager commands
Address 86
ForwardingPorts 87
MltIds 87
MAC filters 83
MAC-layer bridging 83
Name field 59, 70, 113

nontagged ports 23
NotAllowToJoin field 59
NtStgEnable field 113
NumPorts field 97
O
OutBroadcast field 116
OutMulticast field 116
OutOctets field 115
OutUcastPkts field 115
P
PathCost field 101
PID
DSAP value 21
Ethernet SNAP 21
Ethernet type 2 21
invalid for user-defined protocol VLAN 21
VLAN configuration fields 60
policy-based VLAN
creating protocol-based 63
policy-based VLAN, about 19
port auto recovery 54
Port field 82, 84, 99
Port Members field 95
port-based VLAN
about 18
create 61
PortMembers field 59, 113
PortType field 112
Priority field 94, 100
product support 14
Protocol Identifier. See PID 21
protocol-based VLAN
about 20
create 63
ProtocolId field 60
ProtocolSpecification field 97

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130 Index
Q
QosLevel field 60, 71, 79, 82, 85
R
Removing an IST MLT 125
Result field 70
RootCost field 98
RootPort field 98
S
SingleCollisionFrames field 118
SMLT 34
advantages 36
basic functionality 38
comparison to STP 36
configuration 120
CP-Limit 41
Interswitch Trunk (IST) 40
network design considerations 50
overview 34
single port 44
topologies 45
traffic flow examples 39
working with VRRP backup master
routers 51
spanning tree groups
changing 95
creating 92
deleting 95, 95
editing 95
limitations 28
viewing status 96
with VLANs 28
Spanning Tree Protocol 26
Split Multilink Trunking 34
SQETestErrors field 118
State field 100
static link aggregation
BPDUs 34
client/server configuration 33
IEEE 802.1Q tagging 31
IP addresses 31
MAC addresses 31
media type 30
port aggregation 29, 109
rules 30
span modules 31
supported media 30
switch-to-server configuration 32
switch-to-switch configuration 31
traffic distribution algorithm 30
StaticMembers field 59
statistics
static link aggregation 114, 119
STG 97
Status field 78, 82
StgId field 59, 99
STGs. See spanning tree groups 96
STP 26
blocking state 27
bridge forward delay timer 28, 95
bridge hello timer 28, 95
bridge priority 94
bridge protocol data units (BPDUs) 27
disabling 27
enable/disable 95
enabling 27
enabling SNMP traps 95
IEEE 802.1D standard 26
multiple spanning tree groups 26
overview 26
port group membership 95
spanning tree algorithm 26
Spanning Tree FastStart 28
spanning tree groups 26
tagged BPDUs 27
topology change detection
about 29
configure 102
rules 29
StpTrapEnable field 95
SubnetAddr field 60
SubnetMask field 60
support, Nortel 14
T
tagged frame 23
tagged or untagged frames 71
tagged port 23
TaggedBpduAddress field 95
TaggedBpduVlanID field 95

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.
Index 131
technical support 14
TimeSinceTopologyChange field 97
TopChanges field 97
topology change detection
about 29
configure 102
rules 29
traffic distribution algorithm, link
aggregation 30
Type field 59
U
untagged frames 23
user-defined protocol-based VLAN
about 21
user-defined protocol-based VLANs 66
UserDefinedPidList field 70
V
Viewing IST statistics 126
Viewing link aggregation Ethernet error
statistics 116
Viewing MLT-based SMLT information for
the switch 121
Viewing single port SMLTs configured on
the switch 123
Viewing STG ports 98
VLAN
configuring advanced VLAN features 69
coordinated across multiple switches 22

default 24
displaying 58
enabling tagging 25
ID
field 59, 70, 78
ID, in source frame tag 22
in spanning tree groups 28
IPX protocol 20
managing 68
multiplex traffic 23
overview 17
policy-based, about 19
port-based, about 18
protocol-based 63
protocol-based, about 20
rules 25
spanning multiple switches 17
tagged port 25
tagging, about 22
unassigned 24
untagged port 25
user-defined
about 21
invalid PIDs for 21
VLAN Operation Action field 70
VLAN port membership 68
VlanIds field 113

NN46200-510 03.01 Standard
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132 Index

NN46200-510 03.01 Standard
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.
Configuration VLANs, Spanning Tree, and Static Link

Aggregation using Device Manager
Copyright 20052007, Nortel Networks
All Rights Reserved.
Publication: NN46200-510
Document status: Standard
Document version: 03.01
Document date: 27 August 2007
Sourced in Canada and the United States of America.
To provide feedback or report a problem in this document, go to www.nortel.com/documentfeedback.
Nortel, the Nortel logo, and the Globemark are trademarks of Nortel Networks.
IEEE is a trademark of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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(317348-E Rev 01)

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Limitation of Remedies. IN NO EVENT SHALL NORTEL NETWORKS OR ITS AGENTS OR SUPPLIERS BE

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Before you begin 13

VLANs, Spanning Tree, and Static Link Aggregation

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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Understanding VLAN ports 57

Configuring Spanning Tree Group

Configuring static link aggregation

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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VLAN dialog box - Advanced tab: flushing the forwarding

Port membership types for policy-based VLANS 19

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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Statistics, MLT dialog box - Ethernet Errors tab fields 117

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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New in this release

"Features" (page 11)

"Other changes" (page 11)

"Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page 52)

"Configuring Simple Loop Prevention Protocol" (page 103)

"Port auto recovery" (page 54)

Table 22 "MLT dialog box - MultiLink Trunks fields" (page 112)

"Adding ports to a link aggregation group" (page 113)

"Adding an MLT-based SMLT" (page 120)

"Link aggregation rules" (page 30)

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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12 New in this release

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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Before you begin

basic knowledge of networks, Ethernet bridging, and IP routing

familiarity with networking concepts and terminology

experience with windowing systems or GUIs

basic knowledge of network topologies

Install the switch.

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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For installation instructions, see Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

Connect the switch to the network.

How to get help

Getting help from the Nortel web site

Download software, documentation, and product bulletins.

Sign up for automatic notification of new software and documentation

Open and manage technical support cases.

Getting help over the phone from a Nortel Solutions Center

Nortel Ethernet Routing Switch 8300

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How to get help