Configuring VLAN Trunks: Catalyst 2900 Series XL ATM Modules Installation and Configuration Guide

CHAPTER 3
Configuring VLAN Trunks

This chapter describes how to configure Fast Ethernet and Gigabit Ethernet VLAN trunks
on a switch. For information on adding and deleting VLANs, refer to Chapter 2,
“Configuring VTP and Virtual LANs.”
Switches support the following trunking methods for transmitting VLAN traffic over
100BaseT and Gigabit Ethernet ports:
• Inter-Switch Link (ISL)
• IEEE 802.1Q
In addition, you can can enable ATM trunking by installing a Catalyst 2900 series XL ATM
module in a Catalyst 2900 series XL switch. ATM connectivity is described in the
Catalyst 2900 Series XL ATM Modules Installation and Configuration Guide.
Note For complete syntax and usage information for the commands used in this chapter,
refer to the Cisco IOS Desktop Switching Command Reference.
The trunking described in this chapter is not supported on all switches and modules. See
the Cisco IOS Desktop Switching Software Configuration Guide for the list of products that
support trunking.
This chapter consists of these sections:
• “Understanding How VLAN Trunks Work” section on page 3-2
• “Configuring a Trunk Port” section on page 3-4
• “Load Sharing Using STP” section on page 3-8
Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-1

Understanding How VLAN Trunks Work
Understanding How VLAN Trunks Work

A trunk is a point-to-point link that transmits and receives traffic between switches or
between switches and routers. Trunks carry the traffic of multiple VLANs and can extend
VLANs across an entire network. 100BaseT and Gigabit Ethernet trunks use Cisco ISL (the
default protocol) or industry-standard IEEE 802.1Q to carry traffic for multiple VLANs
over a single link.
Frames received from users in the administratively-defined VLANs are identified or tagged
for transmission to other devices. Based on rules you define, a unique identifier (the tag) is
inserted in each frame header before it is forwarded. The tag is examined and understood
by each device before any broadcasts or transmission to other switches, routers, or end
stations. When the frame reaches the last switch or router, the tag is removed before the
frame is transmitted to the target end station.
Figure 3-1 shows a network of switches that are connected by ISL trunks.
IEEE 802.1Q Configuration Considerations

IEEE 802.1Q trunks impose some limitations on the trunking strategy for a network. The
following restrictions apply when using 802.1Q trunks:
• Make sure the native VLAN for an 802.1Q trunk is the same on both ends of the trunk
link. If the native VLAN on one end of the trunk is different from the native VLAN on
the other end, spanning-tree loops might result.
• Disabling STP on the native VLAN of an 802.1Q trunk without disabling STP on every
VLAN in the network can potentially cause STP loops. We recommend that you leave
STP enabled on the native VLAN of an 802.1Q trunk or disable STP on every VLAN
in the network. Make sure your network is loop-free before disabling STP.
3-2 Cisco IOS Desktop Switching Enterprise Edition Software Configuration Guide
IEEE 802.1Q Configuration Considerations
Figure 3-1 Catalyst 2900 series XL and Catalyst 3500 series XL Switches in an ISL Trunking
Environment
Catalyst 5000 series

switch
ISL ISL ISL ISL

trunk trunk trunk trunk
Catalyst Catalyst
2900 XL 3500 XL
switch switch
Catalyst Catalyst
3500 XL 2900 XL
switch switch
VLAN1 VLAN3 VLAN2
VLAN2 VLAN1 VLAN3
15929

Configuring a Trunk Port

This section describes how to use the CLI to configure an ISL or IEEE 802.1Q trunk port,
how to define the VLANs that can use a port, and how to disable a trunk port.
If you are assigning a port on a cluster member switch to a VLAN, first log in to the member
switch by using the privileged EXEC rcommand command. See the Cisco IOS Desktop
Switching Command Reference for more information on how to use this command.
To define a port as an ISL trunk port, perform this task from privileged EXEC mode:
Task Command
Step 1 Enter global configuration mode. configure terminal
Step 2 Enter the interface configuration command interface interface_id
mode and the port to be added to the VLAN.
Step 3 Configure the port with a VLAN switchport mode trunk
membership mode of trunk.
1Configure
Step 4 the port to support ISL trunking. switchport trunk encapsulation isl
Step 5 Return to privileged EXEC mode. end
Step 6 Verify your entries. show interface interface-id switchport
Step 7 Save the configuration. copy running-config startup-config
1 To configure IEEE 802.1 Q, enter this command: switchport trunk encapsulation dotlq
Note The Enterprise Edition Software, Cisco IOS Release 11.2(8)SA6, does not support
trunk negotiation via the Dynamic Trunk Protocol (DTP), formerly known as Dynamic ISL
(DISL). If you are connecting a trunk port to a Catalyst 5000 switch or other DTP device,
use the non-negotiate option on the DTP-capable device to configure the switch port to not
generate DTP frames.
This example shows how to configure a port as a trunk, verify the trunk configuration, and
save the change to the startup configuration file:
Switch# configure terminal
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z.
Switch(config)# interface fa0/1
Switch(config-if)# switchport mode trunk
Switch(config-if)# switchport trunk encapsulation isl
Switch(config-if)# end
Switch# show interface fa0/1 switchport

Name: Fa0/1
Switchport: Enabled
Administrative mode: trunk
Operational Mode: trunk
Administrative Trunking Encapsulation: isl
Operational Trunking Encapsulation: isl
Negotiation of Trunking: Disabled
Access Mode VLAN: 0 ((Inactive))
Trunking Native Mode VLAN: 1 (default)
Trunking VLANs Enabled: 1-3,1002-1005
Trunking VLANs Active: 1-3
Pruning VLANs Enabled: NONE
Switch# copy running-config startup-config

Building configuration...
[OK]
Switch#

Defining the Allowed VLANs on a Trunk

A trunk port by default sends to and receives traffic from all VLANs in the VLAN database.
All VLANs, 1 to 1005, are allowed on each trunk. However, you can remove VLANs from
the allowed list, preventing traffic from those VLANs from passing over the trunk. To
restrict the traffic a trunk carries, use the remove vlan-list parameter to remove specific
VLANs from the allowed list.
Note VLANs 1 and 1002 to 1005 are reserved and cannot be removed.
To modify the allowed list of a trunk, perform this task from privileged EXEC mode:
Task Command
mode and the port to be added to the
VLAN.
Step 3 Configure the VLAN membership mode switchport mode trunk
for trunks.
Step 4 Define the VLANs that are not allowed to switchport trunk allowed vlan remove
transmit and receive on the port. The vlan-list
vlan-list parameter is a range of VLAN IDs
separated by a hyphen or specific VLAN
IDs separated by commas.
Step 5 Return to privileged EXEC. end
allowed-vlan
Step 7 Save the configuration. copy running-config startup-config
Disabling a Trunk Port
This example shows how to define the allowed VLANs list for trunk port Fa0/1 to allow
VLANs 1 to 100, VLAN 250, and VLANs 500 to 1005, and how to verify the allowed
VLAN list for the trunk:
Switch(config-if)# switchport mode trunk
Switch(config-if)# switchport trunk allowed vlan remove 101-499
Switch(config-if)# switchport trunk allowed vlan add 250
Switch# show interface fa0/1 switchport allowed-vlan
"1-100,250,500-1005"
Switch#
Disabling a Trunk Port

You can disable trunking on a port by returning it to its default static-access mode. To
disable trunking on a port, perform the following tasks from privileged EXEC mode:
Task Command
mode and the port to be added to the VLAN.
Step 3 Return the port to its default static-access no switchport mode
mode.
Step 4 Return to privileged EXEC. end

Load Sharing Using STP
This example shows how to disable trunking on a port:

Switch# configure terminal
Switch(config-if)# no switchport mode
Switch# show interface fa0/1 switchport

Name: Fa0/1
Switchport: Enabled
Administrative mode: static access
Operational Mode: static access
Access Mode VLAN: 1 (default)
Trunking VLANs Enabled: NONE

Load sharing divides the bandwidth supplied by parallel trunks connecting switches. To
avoid loops, Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) normally blocks all but one parallel link
between switches. With load sharing, you divide the traffic between the links according to
which VLAN the traffic belongs to.
There are two ways to configure load sharing by using trunk ports: using STP port priorities
or using STP path costs. If you configure load sharing using STP port priorities, both
load-sharing links must be connected to the same switch. If you configure load sharing
using STP path costs, each load-sharing link can be connected to the same switch or to two
different switches.
Load Sharing Using STP Port Priorities

When two ports on the same switch form a loop, the port priority setting determines which
port is enabled and which port is in standby mode. You can set the priorities on a parallel
trunk port so that the port carries all the traffic for a given VLAN. The trunk port with the
higher priority (lower values) for a VLAN is forwarding traffic for that VLAN. The trunk
port with the lower priority (higher values) for the same VLAN remains in a blocking state
for that VLAN. One trunk port transmits or receives all traffic for the VLAN.
Figure 3-2 shows two trunks connecting supported switches. In this example, the switches
are configured as follows:
• VLANs 8 through 10 are assigned a port priority of 10 on trunk 1.
• VLANs 3 through 6 retain the default port priority of 128 on trunk 1.
• VLANs 3 through 6 are assigned a port priority of 10 on trunk 2.
• VLANs 8 through 10 retain the default port priority of 128 on trunk 2.
In this way, trunk 1 carries traffic for VLANs 8 through 10, and trunk 2 carries traffic for
VLANs 3 through 6. If the active trunk fails, the trunk with the lower priority takes over
and carries the traffic for all of the VLANs. There is no duplication of traffic over any trunk
port.
Figure 3-2 Load Sharing by Using STP Port Priorities
Switch 1
Trunk 1 Trunk 2
Ns 8 – 10 (priority 10) VLANs 3 – 6 (priority 10)
Ns 3 – 6 (priority 128) VLANs 8 – 10 (priority 128)
15932
Switch 2

Follow these steps to configure the network shown in Figure 3-2:

Step 1 Configure a VTP domain on Switch 1, and configure Switch 1 as a VTP server.
Switch_1# vlan database
Switch_1(vlan)# vtp domain milano
Changing VTP domain name from test to milano
Switch_1(vlan)# vtp server
Device mode already VTP SERVER.
Step 2 Verify the VTP information by exiting to privileged EXEC mode and displaying
the VTP information for both switches.
Switch_1(vlan)# exit
APPLY completed.
Exiting....
Switch_1# show vtp status
VTP Version : 2
Configuration Revision : 0
Maximum VLANs supported locally : 68
Number of existing VLANs : 59
VTP Operating Mode : Server
VTP Domain Name : milano
VTP Pruning Mode : Disabled
VTP V2 Mode : Disabled
VTP Traps Generation : Disabled
MD5 digest : 0x53 0x97 0x06 0x02 0xF8 0x6F
0x45 0x85
Configuration last modified by 172.20.128.151 at 3-5-93 01:05:21
Step 3 From privileged EXEC mode, verify that the VLANs exist in the database on
Switch 1.
Switch_1# show vlan
VLAN Name Status Ports
---- -------------------------------- --------- ---------------------------
1 default active Fa0/2, Fa0/3, Fa0/4, Fa0/5,
Fa0/10, Fa0/11, Fa0/12
2 VLAN0002 active
3 VLAN0003 active
4 VLAN0004 active
5 VLAN0005 active
6 VLAN0006 active
7 VLAN0007 active
8 VLAN0008 active
9 VLAN0009 active
10 VLAN0010 active
Step 4 Beginning from privileged EXEC mode, configure the trunks on Switch 1 ports.
The trunks default to ISL trunking.
Switch_1# configure terminal
Switch_1(config)# interface fa0/1
Switch_1(config-if)# switchport mode trunk
Switch_1(config-if)# end
Switch_1# show interface fa0/1 switchport

Name: Fa0/1
Switchport: Enabled
Administrative mode: trunk
Operational Mode: trunk
Access Mode VLAN: 0 ((Inactive))
Trunking VLANs Enabled: ALL
Trunking VLANs Active: 1-55
Repeat this procedure to define the trunk ports on Switch 1 and Switch 2.

Step 5 When the trunk links come up, VTP passes the VTP and VLAN information to
Switch 2. Verify that switch 2 has learned the VLAN configuration.
Switch_2# show vlan
---- -------------------------------- --------- ---------------------------
1 default active Fa0/2, Fa0/3, Fa0/4, Fa0/5,
Fa0/10, Fa0/11, Fa0/12
2 VLAN0002 active
3 VLAN0003 active
4 VLAN0004 active
5 VLAN0005 active
6 VLAN0006 active
7 VLAN0007 active
8 VLAN0008 active
9 VLAN0009 active
10 VLAN0010 active
Step 6 Use the spanning-tree command to assign the different port priorities on the
different VLANs.
Enter configuration commands, one per line. End with CNTL/Z
Switch_1(config-if)# interface fa0/1
Switch_1(config-if)# spanning-tree vlan 8 9 10 port-priority 10
Switch_1(config-if)# spanning-tree vlan 3 4 5 6 port-priority 10
Load Sharing Using STP Path Cost
Step 7 Verify the entries by entering the privileged EXEC show running-config
command:
Switch_1# show running-config
.
interface FastEthernet0/1
switchport mode trunk
spanning-tree vlan 8 priority 10
!
!
!
port group 11
.
.

You can configure parallel trunks to share VLAN traffic by setting different path costs on a
trunk and associating the path costs with different sets of VLANs. The VLANs keep the
traffic separate, STP does not disable a port because there are no loops, and redundancy is
maintained in the event of a lost link.

Figure 3-3 Load-Sharing Trunks with Traffic Distributed by Path Cost
Switch 1
Trunk port 1 Trunk port 2

VLANs 2 – 4 (path cost 30) VLANs 8 – 10 (path cost 30)
LANs 8 – 10 (path cost 19) VLANs 2 – 4 (path cost 19)
16591
Switch 2
In this example, trunk ports 1 and 2 are 100BaseT ports. The path costs for the VLANs are
assigned as follows:
• VLANs 2 through 4 are assigned a path cost of 30 on trunk port 1.
• VLANs 8 through 10 retain the default 100BaseT path cost on trunk port 1 of 19.
• VLANs 8 through 10 are assigned a path cost of 30 on trunk port 2.
• VLANs 2 through 4 retain the default 100BaseT path cost on trunk port 2 of 19.
Follow these steps to configure two parallel trunks to load share based on the STP path cost
parameter:
Step 1 From privileged EXEC mode, configure the two ports as trunk ports. The trunk
defaults to ISL trunking.

Step 2 Verify the entries by entering the privileged EXEC show running-config
command:
Switch# show running-config
Current configuration:
!
version 11.2
no service pad
no service udp-small-servers
no service tcp-small-servers
!
hostname Switch
!
enable password grandkey
!
interface VLAN1
ip address 172.20.128.178 255.255.255.0
no ip route-cache
!
!
Step 3 When the trunk links come up, Switch 1 receives the VTP information from the
other switches. Verify that Switch 1 has learned the VLAN configuration.
Switch_1# show vlan
---- -------------------------------- --------- ---------------------------
1 default active
2 VLAN0002 active
3 VLAN0003 active
4 VLAN0004 active
5 VLAN0005 active
6 VLAN0006 active
7 VLAN0007 active
8 VLAN0008 active
9 VLAN0009 active
10 VLAN0010 active

Step 4 Use the spanning-tree command to assign the cost parameter to the VLANs that
use the trunk on Switch 1.
Switch_1(config-if)# spanning-tree vlan 2 3 4 cost 30

Switch_1(config-if)# spanning-tree vlan 8 9 10 cost 30
Step 5 Verify the entry by entering the privileged EXEC show running-config
command:
Switch# show running-config
Current configuration:
!
version 11.2
no service pad
no service udp-small-servers
no service tcp-small-servers
!
hostname Switch
!
enable password grandkey
!
interface VLAN1
ip address 172.20.128.179 255.255.255.0
no ip route-cache
!
spanning-tree vlan 2 cost 30
!
!
!

Redundant Links Using STP UplinkFast
Redundant Links Using STP UplinkFast

Switches in hierarchical networks can be grouped into backbone switches, distribution
switches, and access switches. Figure 3-4 shows a complex network where distribution
switches and access switches each have at least one redundant link that is blocked by STP
to prevent loops.
If a switch looses connectivity, the switch begins using the alternate paths as soon as STP
selects a new root port. When STP reconfigures the new root port, other ports flood the
network with multicast packets, one for each address that was learned on the port. You can
limit these bursts of multicast traffic by reducing the max-update-rate parameter (the
default for this parameter is 150 packets per second). However, if you enter zero,
station-learning frames are not generated, so the STP topology converges more slowly after
a loss of connectivity.
STP UplinkFast is an enhancement that accelerates the choice of a new root port when a
link or switch fails or when STP reconfigures itself. The root port transitions to the
forwarding state immediately without going through the listening and learning states, as it
would do with normal STP procedures. UplinkFast is most useful in edge or access
switches and might not be appropriate for backbone devices.
Enabling STP UplinkFast

When you enable UplinkFast, it is enabled for the entire switch and cannot be enabled for
individual VLANs.
Enter this command in global configuration mode to configure UplinkFast:
Switch(config)# spanning-tree uplinkfast [max-update-rate pkts-per-second]
Note When UplinkFast is enabled, the bridge priority of all VLANs is set to 49152, and
the path cost of all ports and VLAN trunks is increased by 3000. This change reduces the
chance that the switch will become the root port. When UplinkFast is disabled, the bridge
priorities of all VLANs and path costs of all ports are set to default values.
Enabling STP UplinkFast
Figure 3-4 Switches in a Hierarchical Network
Backbone switches
Root bridge
3500 XL 3500 XL
Distribution switches
2900 XL 2900 XL 2900 XL
2900 XL 2900 XL 2900 XL 2900 XL
22037
Active link Access switches
Blocked link

Trunks Interacting with Other Features
Trunks Interacting with Other Features

ISL, IEEE 802.1Q, and ATM trunking interacts with other switch features in the following
ways:
Port monitoring A trunk cannot be a monitor port. A static-access port can

monitor the traffic of its VLAN on a trunk port.
Port grouping ISL and 802.1Q trunks can be grouped into EtherChannel
port groups, but all trunks in the group must have the same
configuration. ATM ports are always trunks but cannot be
part of an EtherChannel port group.
When a group is first created, all ports follow the parameters
set for the first port to be added to the group. If you change
the configuration of one of the following parameters, the
switch propagates the setting you entered to all ports in the
group:
• Allowed-VLAN list
• STP path cost for each VLAN
• STP port priority for each VLAN
• STP Port Fast setting
• Trunk status: if one port in a port group ceases to be a
trunk, all port cease to be trunks.
Network port When configured as a network port, a trunk serves as the

network port for all VLANs associated with the port. A
network port receives all unknown unicast traffic on a VLAN.
Secure ports A trunk cannot be a secure port.
Blocking unicast and The port block command can be used to block the
multicast packets on a trunk forwarding of unknown unicast and multicast packets to
VLANs on a trunk. However, if the trunk is acting as a
network port, unknown unicast packets cannot be blocked.

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CHAPTER 3

Configuring VLAN Trunks

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-1

Understanding How VLAN Trunks Work

IEEE 802.1Q Configuration Considerations

Catalyst 5000 series

ISL ISL ISL ISL

VLAN1 VLAN3 VLAN2

VLAN2 VLAN1 VLAN3

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-3

Configuring a Trunk Port

Switch# show interface fa0/1 switchport

Switch# copy running-config startup-config

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-5

Defining the Allowed VLANs on a Trunk

Disabling a Trunk Port

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-7

This example shows how to disable trunking on a port:

Switch# show interface fa0/1 switchport

Load Sharing Using STP

Load Sharing Using STP Port Priorities

Figure 3-2 Load Sharing by Using STP Port Priorities

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-9

Follow these steps to configure the network shown in Figure 3-2:

Switch_1# show interface fa0/1 switchport

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-11

Load Sharing Using STP Path Cost

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-13

Figure 3-3 Load-Sharing Trunks with Traffic Distributed by Path Cost

Trunk port 1 Trunk port 2

Switch_1# configure terminal

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-15

Switch_1# configure terminal

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-17

Redundant Links Using STP UplinkFast

Enabling STP UplinkFast

Figure 3-4 Switches in a Hierarchical Network

2900 XL 2900 XL 2900 XL

2900 XL 2900 XL 2900 XL 2900 XL

Configuring VLAN Trunks 3-19

Trunks Interacting with Other Features

Port monitoring A trunk cannot be a monitor port. A static-access port can

Network port When configured as a network port, a trunk serves as the

Secure ports A trunk cannot be a secure port.

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