MST maps multiple VLANs into a spanning tree instance.

For switches to participate in MST instances, must consistently configure the switches with
the same MST configuration information. A collection of interconnected switches that have
the same MST configuration comprises an MST region

IEEE 802.1s combine the best aspects from both the PVST+ and the 802.1q.

MST maps multiple VLANs into a spanning tree instance, with each instance having a spanning tree
topology independent of other spanning tree instances.

This architecture provides multiple forwarding paths for data traffic, enables load balancing, and
reduces the number of spanning tree instances required to support a large number of VLANs. MST
improves the fault tolerance of the network because a failure in one instance (forwarding path) does
not affect other instances (forwarding paths).

In other words, MSTP is configurable and more scalable version of PVST+. In MSTP you can define a
STP instance for a configurable set of VLANs. By default, there is the Instance 0 (fall back instance)
and all VLANs are bound to this instance.

The main enhancement of MSTP is that VLANs can be mapped to a different STP instances.

The IEEE 802.1s committee introduced a concept MST Regions. You can think of a MST Region as the
equivalent of BGP/EIGRP Autonomous Systems, which implies common device administration.

A collection of interconnected switches that have the same MST configuration comprises an
MST region

For switches to be members of the same Region, the following attributes must match:

1. An alphanumeric configuration name (32 bytes)

2. A configuration revision number (2 bytes)
3. A 4096-element table that associates each of the potential 4096 VLANs supported on
the chassis to a given instance. (VLAN-to-instance mapping)

The first two attributes are fairly small and they included in MST extension of BPDUs. Last one can be
big, so in order to simplify MST Region matching, switch sends hash value of VLAN-to-instance
mapping, which is called MST Config Digest. You can verify it using show spanning-tree mst
configuration digest command.
The exact VLANs-to-instance mapping is not propagated in the BPDU, because the switches only
need to know whether they are in the same region as a neighbour. Therefore, only a digest of the
VLANs-to-instance mapping table is sent, along with the revision number and the name. Once a
switch receives a BPDU, the switch extracts the digest (a numerical value derived from the VLAN-to-
instance mapping table through a mathematical function) and compares this digest with its own
computed digest. If the digests differ, the port on which the BPDU was received is at the boundary of
a region.

A region can have one or multiple members with the same MST configuration; each member must
be capable of processing RSTP bridge protocol data units (BPDUs). There is no limit to the number of
MST regions in a network, but each region can support up to 65 spanning tree instances. Instances
can be identified by any number in the range from 0 to 4094. You can assign a VLAN to only one
spanning tree instance at a time.

In generic terms, a port is at the boundary of a region if the designated bridge on its segment is in a
different region or if it receives legacy 802.1d BPDUs.

MST maps multiple VLANs into a spanning tree instance.

Within each MST region, MST maintains multiple spanning tree instances.

For switches to participate in MST instances, must consistently configure the switches with
the same MST configuration information. A collection of interconnected switches that have
the same MST configuration comprises an MST region

MST Instances

According to the IEEE 802.1s specification, an MST bridge must be able to handle at least
these two instances:

One Internal Spanning Tree (IST)

One or more Multiple Spanning Tree Instance(s) (MSTIs)

Internal Spanning Tree (IST)

An IST is the spanning tree runs in an MST region.

Instance 0 is a special instance for a region, known as the IST.

The IST is the only spanning tree instance that sends and receives BPDUs.

By default, all VLANs are assigned to the IST.

The IST instance is simply an RSTP instance that extends the CST inside the MST region.
The IST instance receives and sends BPDUs to the CST. The IST can represent the entire MST region
as a CST virtual bridge to the outside world.

The IST Instance is Active on All Ports, Whether Trunk or Access

Within each MST region, MST maintains multiple spanning tree instances.

All other MST instances are numbered from 1 to 4094.

All of the other spanning tree instance information is contained in MSTP records (M-records), which
are encapsulated within MST BPDUs. Because the MST BPDU carries information for all instances,
the number of BPDUs that need to be processed to support multiple spanning tree instances is
significantly reduced.

All MST instances within the same region share the same protocol timers,

but each MST instance has its own topology parameters, such as root bridge ID, root path cost, and
so forth.

NOTE:

An MST instance is local to the region; for example, MST instance 1 in region A is independent of
MST instance 1 in region B, even if regions A and B are interconnected.

A CIST is a collection of the ISTs in each MST region.

The CIST is formed by the spanning tree algorithm running among switches that support the 802.1w,
802.1s, and 802.1D standards. The CIST inside an MST region is the same as the CST outside a
region.

CIST is a single topology connecting all Bridges (STP, RSTP, MSTP) in one active topology. So it is all
bridges, literally.

The CST interconnects the MST regions and single spanning trees.

The spanning tree computed in a region appears as a subtree in the CST that encompasses the entire
switched domain.

CST is a topology connecting all STP, RSTP Bridges and MST Regions. It is important to emphasize
that in CST it is MSTP REGIONS not MSTP bridges. In CST, MSTP region is treated like a Virtual
Bridge. MSTP boundary ports are ports of this Virtual Bridge.
NOTE:

In order to clearly understand the role of the IST instance, remember that MST originates from the
IEEE. Therefore, MST must be able to interact with 802.1q-based networks, because 802.1q is
another IEEE standard. For 802.1q, a bridged network only implements a single spanning tree
(CST). The IST instance is simply an RSTP instance that extends the CST inside the MST region.

MORE ON CST

In a typically bridged network (left image in above figure), you expect to see a blocked port between
Switches M and B. Instead of blocking on D, you may also expect to have the second loop broken by
a blocked port somewhere in the middle of the MST region.

However, due to the IST, the entire region appears as one virtual bridge (its better to consider it as a
region in place of bridge) that runs a single spanning tree (CST) (Right image in below figure),.

This makes it possible to understand that the virtual bridge blocks an alternate port on B. Also, that
virtual bridge is on the C to D segment and leads Switch D to block its port.

However, if you keep this virtual bridge (its better to consider it as a region in place of bridge)
property of the MST region in mind, the interaction with the outside world is much easier to
understand.
MSTIs

The MSTIs are simple RSTP instances that only exist inside a region. (These instances run
the RSTP automatically by default, without any extra configuration work.)

Unlike the IST, MSTIs never interact with the outside of the region.

Remember that MST only runs one spanning tree outside of the region, so except for the IST
instance, regular instances inside of the region have no outside counterpart.

Additionally, MSTIs do not send BPDUs outside a region, only the IST does.

MSTIs do not send independent individual BPDUs. Inside the MST region, bridges exchange MST
BPDUs that can be seen as normal RSTP BPDUs for the IST while containing additional information
for each MSTI.

The MRecord contains enough information (mostly root bridge and sender bridge priority
parameters) for the corresponding instance to calculate its final topology. The MRecord does not
need any timer-related parameters such as hello time, forward delay, and max age that are typically
found in a regular IEEE 802.1d or 802.1q CST BPDU. The only instance in the MST region to use these
parameters is the IST; the hello time determines how frequently BPDUs are sent, and the forward
delay parameter is mainly used when rapid transition is not possible (remember that rapid
transitions do not occur on shared links). As MSTIs depend on the IST to transmit their information,
MSTIs do not need those timers.
Root in MSTP
There are two types of Root Bridges in MSTP:
CIST Root one among all MST Regions
CIST Regional Root one per MST Region

CIST Root is the Bridge that has the lowest Bridge ID among all regions. If Bridge is the
CIST Root it is also the CIST Regional Root.

Every MST Region that does not have CIST Root, elects CIST Regional Root. CIST
Regional Root is a Boundary Bridge with shortest external path cost to reach the CIST Root.
CIST Regional Root is the root of the IST for the MST Region.

In the example above, the SW-1 is CIST Root and CIST Regional Root in Region 1. SW-5 is
CIST Regional Root in Region 2.