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Spanningtree root switch

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Would like to know which switch is best to make the root switch. I'm debating between SW3 and SW1.

SW1 in our MDF will be the L3 switch. SW3 is an intermediate switch for fiber. All switches will be MS225s except SW3 which will be MS130 or MS390.

Thanks.

1 Accepted Solution

For best practices, the Root of the topology should be your network core or whatever the network's L3 is.

I am not a Cisco Meraki employee. My suggestions are based on documentation of Meraki best practices and day-to-day experience.

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12 Replies 12

Which one is your core? The network core will always be the STP root. In your case, I believe it is SW3.

I am not a Cisco Meraki employee. My suggestions are based on documentation of Meraki best practices and day-to-day experience.

Please, if this post was useful, leave your kudos and mark it as solved.

Sorry now I read that SW1 will be L3, so it must be Root in that case.

I am not a Cisco Meraki employee. My suggestions are based on documentation of Meraki best practices and day-to-day experience.

Please, if this post was useful, leave your kudos and mark it as solved.

Can you have the L3 and root on different switches?

I was thinking as far as quicker STP convergence, SW3 would maybe be better?

It is not a good practice, I personally have seen some problems happen, so avoid it.

I am not a Cisco Meraki employee. My suggestions are based on documentation of Meraki best practices and day-to-day experience.

Please, if this post was useful, leave your kudos and mark it as solved.

SW3 will have no endpoints connected just fiber links to the other switches because of the distance.

For best practices, the Root of the topology should be your network core or whatever the network's L3 is.

I am not a Cisco Meraki employee. My suggestions are based on documentation of Meraki best practices and day-to-day experience.

Please, if this post was useful, leave your kudos and mark it as solved.

I wanted to echo what @alemabrahao has already recommended with our documentation indicating that the root bridge would typically be the core switch

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Hi @hmc25000 , switch 1 where your SVIs are configured should be your Root

Darren OConnor | doconnor@resalire.co.uk
https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenoconnor/

I'm not an employee of Cisco/Meraki. My posts are based on Meraki best practice and what has worked for me in the field.

I would fundamentally change your design. I would not plug two switches into an MX.

Choose one switch to be the core, make it the spanning tree root, and then plug all other switches into it.

I agree but that's not something that we can change easily. The wiring was already done and the long distances between LDFs and MDF would make it very expensive.

If only we could live in a perfect world. 🙂

I understand.

I would make SW3 the spanning tree root.

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