Dell Force10 Interoperability Guide

Dell Networking
3, are clear enough to give us an idea of how the different spanning tree modes interact with each
other.
PVST (FTOS) and PVST+ (IOS)
Dell Force 10’s PVST’s implementation is fully compatible with Cisco’s IOS implementation. The
following setup will demonstrate how PVST can be deployed in a mixed environment.
In figure 3, we have a typical deployment where all devices are connected and potentially create a
loop if spanning tree was not configured. The Cisco Catalyst 6509 is the root bridge
Figure 3 : Dell Force 10 and Cisco Catalyst 6509 PVST+ Test Setup
PVST is enabled on the Dell Force 10 switches, whereas PVST+ is enabled on the Cisco switch. PVST is
the IEEE nomenclature, and PVST+ is Cisco’s equivalent to the IEEE’s PVST version.
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