Using the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) functionality of the switch makes your network more
fault tolerant. The following sections explain more about STP and the STP features supported by
XCM8800.

Note:

STP is a part of the 802.1D bridge specification defined by the IEEE

Computer Society. To explain STP in terms used by the IEEE
802.1D specification, the switch will be referred to as a bridge.

XCM8800 supports the new edition of the IEEE 802.1D standard (known as IEEE 802.1D-2004)
for STP, which incorporates enhancements from the IEEE 802.1t-2001, IEEE 802.1W, and IEEE
802.1y standards. The IEEE 802.1D-2004 standard is backward compatible with the IEEE
802.1D-1998 standard. For more information, see

Compatibility Between IEEE 802.1D-1998 and

IEEE 802.1D-2004 STP Bridges

on page 520.