Solved: IEEE 802.1D-2004 support on Cisco Catalyst and Linksys product

grodoni · ‎11-17-2009

does all switching products (Cisco and Linksys) support IEEE 802.1D-2004 (which incorporates and enhances RSTP and obsoletes STP). This is not always clear from the documentation and data sheets

Peter Paluch · ‎11-17-2009

Hello once again,

Using the Feature Navigator tool mentioned in my earlier post, you can verify whether a particular switch supports the STP, RSTP or MSTP. After you click on the "Search by Platform", you may select the platform and the IOS version you are interested in. In the provided list, you will be able to see which particular STP versions are supported on that device.

Unfortunately, the Feature Navigator does not explicitely describe feature of switching modules but as these are determined by the router's IOS, you can proceed by selecting the proper router platform and IOS version.

Best regards,

Peter

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Peter Paluch · ‎11-17-2009

Hello,

Regarding Cisco products, all currently supported standalone Catalyst switches (not switching modules) with recent IOS software support legacy 802.1D STP, current 802.1D RSTP and 802.1Q MSTP protocols. Switching modules like HWIC-4ESW have so far implemented only the legacy STP. You will need to consult the respective data sheet. Also, I suspect that the STP support is essentially software-based on these modules, therefore a look at the complete feature list of the IOS that will be running on the router containing that switching module may be helpful. I suggest using the Cisco Feature Navigator at http://cisco.com/go/fn to get the complete listing of features in a particular IOS image.

Regarding the Linksys SOHO switches, I am sorry but I do not have first-hand information. I have worked with a couple of Linksys switches that have indeed supported the RSTP but I cannot generalize this.

Best regards,

Peter

Peter Paluch · ‎11-17-2009

Hello once again,

Using the Feature Navigator tool mentioned in my earlier post, you can verify whether a particular switch supports the STP, RSTP or MSTP. After you click on the "Search by Platform", you may select the platform and the IOS version you are interested in. In the provided list, you will be able to see which particular STP versions are supported on that device.

Unfortunately, the Feature Navigator does not explicitely describe feature of switching modules but as these are determined by the router's IOS, you can proceed by selecting the proper router platform and IOS version.

Best regards,

Peter