Cisco Gigabit Ethernet Switch Module for HP p-Class BladeSystem Software Configuration Guide

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Chapter 1 Overview

Features

• Optional spanning-tree features available in PVST+, rapid-PVST+, and MSTP mode:

–

Port Fast for eliminating the forwarding delay by enabling a port to immediately change from

the blocking state to the forwarding state

–

BPDU guard for shutting down Port Fast-enabled ports that receive bridge protocol data units

(BPDUs)

–

BPDU filtering for preventing a Port Fast-enabled port from sending or receiving BPDUs

–

Root guard for preventing switches outside the network core from becoming the spanning-tree

root

–

Loop guard for preventing alternate or root ports from becoming designated ports because of a

failure that leads to a unidirectional link

• Flex Link Layer 2 interfaces to back up one another as an alternative to STP for basic link

redundancy

• Link state tracking (Layer 2 trunk failover) to mirror the state of the external Ethernet links and to

allow the failover of the processor blade traffic to an operational external link on a separate Cisco

Ethernet switch

• RPS support through the Cisco RPS 300 and Cisco RPS 675 for enhancing power reliability

Note The switch supports up to 64 spanning-tree instances.

VLAN Features

These are the VLAN features:

• Support for up to 1005 VLANs for assigning users to VLANs associated with appropriate network

resources, traffic patterns, and bandwidth

• Support for VLAN IDs in the 1 to 4094 range as allowed by the IEEE 802.1Q standard

• VLAN Query Protocol (VQP) for dynamic VLAN membership

• IEEE 802.1Q trunking encapsulation on all ports for network moves, adds, and changes;

management and control of broadcast and multicast traffic; and network security by establishing

VLAN groups for high-security users and network resources

• Dynamic Trunking Protocol (DTP) for negotiating trunking on a link between two devices and for

negotiating the type of trunking encapsulation (IEEE 802.1Q) to be used

• VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP) and VTP pruning for reducing network traffic by restricting

flooded traffic to links destined for stations receiving the traffic

• Voice VLAN for creating subnets for voice traffic from Cisco IP Phones

• VLAN 1 minimization for reducing the risk of spanning-tree loops or storms by allowing VLAN 1

to be disabled on any individual VLAN trunk link. With this feature enabled, no user traffic is sent

or received on the trunk. The switch CPU continues to send and receive control protocol frames.

• VLAN Flex Link Load Balancing to provide Layer 2 redundancy without requiring Spanning Tree

Protocol (STP). A pair of interfaces configured as primary and backup links can load balance traffic

based on VLAN.