Cisco Catalyst 4500 series Administration Manual page 714

About BackboneFast
If the switch finds an alternate path to the root bridge, it uses this new alternate path. This new path, and
any other alternate paths, are used to send a Root Link Query (RLQ) BPDU. When BackboneFast is
enabled, the RLQ BPDUs are sent out as soon as an inferior BPDU is received. This process can enable
faster convergence in the event of a backbone link failure.
Figure 25-4
directly to Switch B over link L1 and to Switch C over link L2. In this example, because switch B has a
lower priority than A but higher than C, switch B becomes the designated bridge for L3. Consequently,
the Layer 2 interface on Switch C that connects directly to Switch B must be in the blocking state.
Figure 25-4
Switch A
(Root)
Next, assume that L1 fails. Switch A and Switch B, the switches directly connected to this segment,
instantly know that the link is down. The blocking interface on Switch C must enter the forwarding state
for the network to recover. However, because L1 is not directly connected to Switch C, Switch C does
not start sending any BPDUs on L3 under the normal rules of STP until the time defined by the Max Age
setting has expired.
In an STP environment without BackboneFast, if L1 should fail, Switch C cannot detect this failure
because it is not connected directly to link L1. However, because Switch B is directly connected to the
root switch over L1, Switch B detects the failure and elects itself the root. Switch B begins sending
configuration BDPUs to Switch C, listing itself as the root.
The following actions also occur when you use BackboneFast to eliminate the time defined by the Max
Age setting (20-second) delay:
1. When Switch C receives the inferior configuration BPDUs from Switch B, Switch C infers that an
indirect failure has occurred.
Switch C then sends out an RLQ.
2.
Switch A receives the RLQ. Because Switch A is the root bridge, it replies with an RLQ response,
3.
listing itself as the root bridge.
When Switch C receives the RLQ response on its existing root port, it knows that it still has a stable
4.
connection to the root bridge. Because Switch C originated the RLQ request, it does not need to
forward the RLQ response on to other switches.
BackboneFast allows the blocked port on Switch C to move immediately to the listening state
5.
without waiting for the time defined by the Max Age setting for the port to expire.
BackboneFast transitions the Layer 2 interface on Switch C to the forwarding state, providing a path
6.
from Switch B to Switch A.
This switchover takes approximately 30 seconds, twice the Forward Delay time if the default forward
delay time of 15 seconds is set.
Software Configuration Guide—Release IOS XE 3.6.0E and IOS 15.2(2)E
25-14
shows an example of a topology with no link failures. Switch A, the root switch, connects
BackboneFast Before Indirect Link Failure
L1
Link failure
L2
BackboneFast transitions port
through listening and learning
states to forwarding state
Switch C
Switch B
L3
Chapter 25 Configuring Optional STP Features
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