The sending device sets the proposal flag in the RSTP BPDU to propose itself as the designated device on that LAN. The port role in the proposal message is always set to the designated port. The sending device sets the agreement flag in the RSTP BPDU to accept the previous proposal. The port role in the agreement message is always set to the root port. The RSTP does not have a separate topology change notification (TCN) BPDU. It uses the topology change (TC) flag to show the topology changes. However, for interoperability with IEEE 802.1D devices, the RSTP device processes and generates TCN BPDUs. The learning and forwarding flags are set according to the state of the sending port.
Processing Superior Bridge Protocol Data Unit Information If a port receives superior root information (lower device ID, lower path cost, and so forth) than currently stored for the port, the RSTP triggers a reconfiguration. If the port is proposed and is selected as the new root port, RSTP forces all the other ports to synchronize. If the BPDU received is an RSTP BPDU with the proposal flag set, the device sends an agreement message after all of the other ports are synchronized. If the BPDU is an IEEE 802.1D BPDU, the device does not set the proposal flag and starts the forward-delay timer for the port.
The new root port requires twice the forward-delay time to transition to the forwarding state. If the superior information that is received on the port causes the port to become a backup or alternate port, RSTP sets the port to the blocking state but does not send the agreement message. The designated port continues sending BPDUs with the proposal flag set until the forward-delay timer expires, at which time the port transitions to the forwarding state.
Processing Inferior Bridge Protocol Data Unit Information If a designated port receives an inferior BPDU (such as a higher device ID or a higher path cost than currently stored for the port) with a designated port role, it immediately replies with its own information. Topology Changes This section describes the differences between the RSTP and the IEEE 802.1D in handling spanning-tree topology changes. • Detection—Unlike IEEE 802.1D in which any transition between the blocking and the forwarding state causes a topology change, only transitions from the blocking to the forwarding state cause a topology change with RSTP (only an increase in connectivity is considered a topology change).
State changes on an edge port do not cause a topology change. When an RSTP device detects a topology change, it deletes the learned information on all of its nonedge ports except on those from which it received the TC notification. • Notification—Unlike IEEE 802.1D, which uses TCN BPDUs, the RSTP does not use them. However, for IEEE 802.1D interoperability, an RSTP device processes and generates TCN BPDUs. • Acknowledgement—When an RSTP device receives a TCN message on a designated port from an IEEE 802.1D device, it replies with an IEEE 802.1D configuration BPDU with the TCA bit set.
However, if the TC-while timer (the same as the topology-change timer in IEEE 802.1D) is active on a root port that is connected to an IEEE 802.1D device and a configuration BPDU with the TCA bit set is received, the TC-while timer is reset. This behavior is only required to support IEEE 802.1D devices. The RSTP BPDUs never have the TCA bit set. Configuring Multiple Spanning-Tree Protocol Processing Superior Bridge Protocol Data Unit Information Configuring Multiple Spanning-Tree Protocol 14