Configuring Single Instance Rapid Spanning Tree

Protocol (RSTP) Between an Avaya C363T-PWR

Converged Stackable Switch and a 3COM
OfficeConnect Managed Switch 9 Issue 1.0

Abstract
These Application Notes describe a single instance Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol
(RSTP) configuration with an Avaya C363T-PWR Converged Stackable Switch and a
3COM OfficeConnect Managed Switch 9 exhibiting basic switch-to-switch redundancy.
Primary and secondary infrastructure links were used to demonstrate RSTP compatibility
between Avaya and 3COM Layer-2 switching.
Avaya IP Telephony was implemented in this configuration to demonstrate link
resiliency through the use of RSTP to maintain Voice over IP traffic without interruption
of service in the event of link failure.

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1. Introduction
The IEEE 802.1w Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) was developed to decrease the
recovery time of redundant paths in Layer 2 networks as compared to the IEEE 802.1d
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) while continuing to reduce the impact of accidental
network loops. RSTP can reduce the spanning tree convergence time to 5 seconds or less
to establish a network path and reduce network downtime.
In the network diagram depicted in Figure 1, the switches are connected by a 1000
BaseX link with a 100 BaseX link as a redundancy pair. When a link becomes out of
service, the redundant link will become active to maintain Layer-2 connectivity.
Avaya IP Office IP412
Office Server

192.168.209.175/VLAN209
1/9
Avaya C363T-PWR
Converged Stackable Switch
(192.16.20.249/VLAN 1)

802.1q

1/1

Router
192.16.20.112/VLAN 1

1/51
802.1q
1000 Base X
1:9

802.1q
100 BaseX
1:8
3COM OfficeConnect
Managed Switch 9
(190.16.20.247/VLAN1)

Avaya 4620
IP Telephones

190.16.20.209

(192.168.209.110/VLAN209) (192.168.209.111/VLAN209)

Figure 1: Network Diagram for RSTP Configuration

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2. Equipment and Software Validated

The following equipment and software were used for the sample configuration provided:
Equipment

Software

Avaya IP Office IP412

Avaya C363T-PWR Converged Stackable Switch
Avaya 4620 IP Telephones
3Com OfficeConnect Managed Switch 9

3.1(29)
4.5.14
v2.2
1.02

3. Rapid Spanning Tree 802.1w Approach

The Avaya C363T-PWR Converged Stackable Switch supports an implementation of
RSTP that is compatible with the IEEE 802.1d standard and does not support per VLAN
RSTP. This means that Avaya C363T-PWR Converged Stackable Switch will send out
untagged RSTP messages.
Directly connected trunk ports between switches are explicitly configured as point-topoint for fast convergence and as non-edge ports. All access ports for shared media are
explicitly configured to be edge ports to transition rapidly to forwarding state when the
link becomes in-service. If the edge port detects a Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU)
from another bridge, the operational edge port will transition to false and the port will
participate in the topology.
With Spanning Tree, a lower root priority translates to higher root bridge precedence.
These switches were configured, by default, such that the Avaya C363T-PWR becomes
the root bridge. Also, the 1000 BaseX link becomes the normally operating link, with the
100 BaseX trunk as the normally blocking backup.

4. Avaya C363T-PWR
Configuration

Converged

Stackable

Switch

Start a terminal session to the Avaya C363T-PWR Converged Stackable Switch and log
into the console using valid login credentials. Listed below are the configuration steps
used to enable RSTP:
Create the voice VLAN 209. VLAN 1 exists by default and will be used as the
data and management VLAN.
set vlan 209 name vlan209
Configure IP addressing for the inband management interface and set the default
gateway.
set interface inband 192.16.20.249 255.255.255.0
set ip route 0.0.0.0 192.16.20.112
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Assign a high priority level and the voice VLAN to the port connected to IP
Office.
set port level 1/9 7
set port vlan 209 1/9
Enable dot1q trunking on the two ports with connections to the OfficeConnect
switch. Bind all VLANs configured on the C363T-PWR to these ports so the
traffic is passed.
set trunk 1/1 dot1q
set trunk 1/51 dot1q
set port vlan-binding-mode 1/1 bind-to-configured
set port vlan-binding-mode 1/51 bind-to-configured
Globally enable the spanning-tree algorithm and configure the switch for RSTP
operation. Enable the RSTP default path cost. Set the spantree priority to a value
less than the 3COM OfficeConnect spantree priority value (set in the
Spanning Tree Setup screen shown in Section 5) so that the Avaya C363TPWR will become the root bridge.
set spantree enable
set spantree version rapid-spanning-tree
set spantree default-path-cost rapid-spanning-tree
set spantree priority 4096
Set the trunk ports as non-edge ports and force point-to-point MAC address
forwarding. Set the classification of the trunk ports to valuable to erase all
learned MAC addressing during changes in RSTP state.
set port edge admin state 1/51 non-edge-port
set port point-to-point admin status 1/51 force-true
set port classification 1/51 valuable
set port edge admin state 1/1 non-edge-port
set port point-to-point admin status 1/1 force-true
set port classification 1/1 valuable
Set the IP Office port as an edge port and force point-to-point MAC forwarding.
Set the classification of the edge ports to regular to maintain all learned MAC
addressing during changes in RSTP state.
set port edge admin state 1/9 edge-port
set port point-to-point admin status 1/9 force-true
set port classification 1/9 regular

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5. Configure the 3COM OfficeConnect Switch

This section assumes that the 3COM OfficeConnect switch has been configured with a
management IP address and that web-based administration is allowed.
Browse to the 3COM OfficeConnect management address and select the Device View
tab.

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To create the voice VLAN, select BridgeVLANCreate. Enter the Voice VLAN
number (as set in Section 4) and an arbitrary name. Select OK.

Select BridgeVLANModify. Add the station ports (1, 2, 5 and 6) and the trunk ports
(8 and 9) to the C363T-PWR as tagged members of VLAN 209 (VLAN 1 is the default,
untagged member of all ports). Select OK.

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Select BridgeSpanning TreeSetup and ensure that Rapid Spanning Tree is enabled.
The Bridge Priority should be a higher number than the C363T-PWR (set via the set
spantree priority command shown in Section 4) so the C363T-PWR becomes the root
bridge.

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Select BridgeSpanning TreePort Mode and ensure that spanning tree is enabled on
the trunk ports. Enabling Spanning Tree on all ports protects against the creation of
accidental loops.

6. Verification
While there is one path in the network, traffic from edge nodes should pass and network
interruption should be less than a few seconds. If a ping fails or the network interruption
is more than a few seconds, use the commands of this section to isolate the problem.

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1. After connecting the configuration, verify successful Spanning Tree convergence:

a. The C363T-PWR considers itself to be root and the trunk ports are in the
forwarding state.
C360-1(super)# show span
Spanning tree state is enabled
Designated Root: 00-04-0d-78-27-ff
Designated Root Priority: 4096
Designated Root Cost: 0
Designated Root Port: No root port, Bridge is Designated root
Root Max Age: 20 Hello Time: 2
Root Forward Delay: 15
Bridge ID MAC ADDR: 00-04-0d-78-27-ff
Bridge ID priority: 4096
Bridge Max Age: 20
Bridge Hello Time: 2
Bridge Forward Delay: 15 Tx Hold Count 3
Spanning Tree Version is rapid spanning tree
Spanning Tree Default Path Costs is according to rapid spanning tree
Port State
Cost
Priority
------ ------------- ---------- -----------1 /1 Forwarding 200000 128

1 /51 Forwarding 20000

128

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b. The 3COM OfficeConnect considers the Avaya C363T-PWR to be the

Designated Root.

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c. The 3COM OfficeConnect has the 1 Gb/s trunk (port 9) to the C363T-PWR in
the Forwarding state and the 100 Mb/s trunk (port 8) in the Blocking state.
Select BridgeSpanning TreePort Summary.

2. Verify that the Avaya IP Telephones register and can place calls, and that talk path
quality is good.

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3. Disconnect the 1 Gb/s trunk and observe that the redundant link becomes active and
rapidly transitions to the Forwarding state. Convergence times should be on the
order of 5 seconds or less. Calls should stay up. Select BridgeSpanning
TreePort Summary and verify that port 8 has transitioned to the Forwarding
state.

4. Reconnect the 1 Gb/s link and observe the transition to the Forwarding state and the
corresponding redundant link transitions to the Blocking state. Calls will not be torn
down, although the talk path may be blocked until the transition has completed. Tests
showed that the reconnected link began bidirectional forwarding after 30 seconds.

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7. Conclusion
Single instance RSTP operation between the Avaya C363T-PWR Converged Stackable
Switch and the 3COM OfficeConnect Managed Switch 9 is compatible and a fast
convergence time (less than 5 seconds) can be achieved in case of link failure.
Restoration of a failed link took 30 seconds from link up, until bidirectional traffic was
restored.
Connectivity between all of the vendors products depicted using 802.1w Rapid Spanning
Tree Protocol (RSTP) can be achieved by following the guidelines demonstrated in these
Application Notes.

8. Additional References
The following reference documents can be obtained online:
From http://support.avaya.com:

Avaya C360 Device Manager Users Guide

From http://www.3com.com:

OfficeConnect Managed Switch 9 and Switch 9 FX Implementation Guide

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2005 Avaya Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Avaya and the Avaya Logo are trademarks of Avaya Inc. All trademarks identified by
and are registered trademarks or trademarks, respectively, of Avaya Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The information provided in
these Application Notes is subject to change without notice. The configurations,
technical data, and recommendations provided in these Application Notes are believed to
be accurate and dependable, but are presented without express or implied warranty.
Users are responsible for their application of any products specified in these Application
Notes.
Please e-mail any questions or comments pertaining to these Application Notes along
with the full title name and filename, located in the lower right corner, directly to the
Avaya Solution & Interoperability Test Lab at interoplabnotes@list.avaya.com

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2005 Avaya Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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