FutureSoft Offers Spanning Tree Protocol Enhancements for L2/3 Switches

FutureSoft announced support for the Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) and Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) in its source code solution for network equipment manufacturers. With RSTP (based on the IEEE 802.1W standard), the time for convergence of the network after a change is reduced significantly -- providing rapid stabilization of the network after failure or reconfiguration. FutureSoft said the time taken for restoring the connectivity in a large network can be reduced from approximately 30 seconds to a couple of seconds using its software. With MSTP (based on the IEEE 802.1S standard), devices can support more than one VLAN without any network loop problems. This enhances the number of forwarding paths for data traffic, while ensuring a more optimal use of LAN resources in a VLAN environment. Load balancing is enabled via this feature, which also reduces the impact of failure in the overall network. These features were demonstrated last month at Networld+Interop using the Broadcom 5690 reference board.
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