Loop Protection

The Loop Protection page is available only when there are one or more switches in the inventory. Instant On devices use two mechanisms for loop protection:

Aruba Proprietary Mechanism

This mechanism is in-built on AP11D access points to protect them against loops or storms. This mechanism cannot be disabled on the device using the Instant On mobile app. The device sends out a proprietary packet and blocks any port that receives the same packet. The device will recover in 60 seconds once the fault is removed.

Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

This mechanism is available only on the Instant On switches and is compliant with the 802.1w standard. RSTP provides loop protection in an interoperable environment with third-party networking equipment.

The RSTP mechanism can be enabled or disabled on the network using the Instant On mobile app. When this mechanism is enabled, probe packets are sent out every 2 seconds from the root bridge device. If the same packet is seen in more than one port of a downstream device, it indicates that a loop in the network exists, and RSTP will block ports to create a loop-free topology.

Follow these steps to enable RSTP on the network:

  1. Tap the Inventory tile on the Aruba Instant On home page or tap the Site Health banner and select Show inventory.
  2. Tap the advanced menu () icon in the Inventory page and select Loop protection.
  3. Slide the Rapid spanning tree (RSTP) toggle switch to enabled (), to configure loop protection on the network. The page lists the spanning tree diagnostics such as the Root switch device connected to the network and its priority value. It also indicates the duration and number of times the Topology changed for the root switch device on the network.

When there is a stack present in the inventory, RSTP is enabled by default and does not have toggle switch to disable this setting. If the stack is removed, RSTP will still be enabled on the Instant On 1960 switch, but would now have a toggle switch to disable the setting.

Starting from Instant On 2.4.0, RSTP is enabled by default when creating a new site.

Bridge Priority Assignments

The Bridge Priority page displays the participating spanning tree devices and their bridge priority. The priority will be automatically determined using the topology and the position of the devices related to each other. The root bridge is assigned to the Instant On switch or router that is closest to the internet router or entry point to a private network. The root bridge priority is assigned the default value of 32768. All subsequent Instant On switches and routers are assigned priority values based on their distance from the root bridge.

For example, a network with three Instant On devices can have the following priority assignments:

  • Instant On 1 would be assigned priority 32768 (root)
  • Instant On 2 would be assigned priority 36864
  • Instant On 3 would be assigned priority 40960

To view the bridge priority details and modify the base priority, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the Inventory tile on the Aruba Instant On home page or tap the Site Health banner and select Show inventory.
  2. Tap the advanced menu () icon in the Inventory page and select Loop protection.
  3. Slide the Rapid spanning tree (RSTP) toggle switch to enabled ().
  4. Tap the Bridge priority assignments link. The details of the Base priority and Root bridge are displayed.
  5. To modify the Base priority, tap the drop-down arrow and select a priority from the list.
  6. If you choose to recalculate the bridge priority, tap the advanced menu on the header and then tap Recalculate bridge priority.

    The changes are auto saved.