Netgear WAP becomes STP root bridge for VLAN 1

[michael.armstrong]

I haven't chatted with Mr Netgear yet, but I just tracked down a rogue STP root bridge to a Netgear WG602V2 Wireless Access Point. It was further complicated by the fact that the WAP was connected via a 7940 IP Phone. I would really like to know if anyone else has seen anything like this, or if I've done something really stupid. In any case, if the WAP is connected, it assumes the root role for VLAN 1 (priority 0); disconnected, the real root takes over again. I'm about to go rummaging around the Netgear Web site to see if this is normal, but it may be yet another reason to police these things pretty aggressively, and may be yet another reason to not use VLAN 1.

[Georg Pauwen]

Hello Michael,

I think this could be a bug (see the link below), you might want to try and upgrade the firmware of your Netgear box. The firmware upgrade will change the default bridge priority of the WG602V2 to 32768...

I guess you are right, policing STP is always a good idea...I assume you have root guard enabled on your root switch ?

How is life in Gainesville ?

WG602v2 Firmware v 3.2RC6

http://www.netgear.de/de/Support/download.html?func=Detail&id=692

Regards,

GP

[michael.armstrong]

You're right, I think. I found that firmware upgrade last night as well. I had earlier just searched the WG602v2 portion of the Netgear support site for "STP" or "Spanning" and came up with nothing, so it looks like a) they don't include firmware upgrade text in their search, and b) they didn't upgrade the documentation to reflect the new ability to turn off STP (or at least set the default properly). I'm still surprised that this little box is STP-aware at all.

Root guard? Not yet... our current topology (it's interesting to see that "topology" and "Topsy" are derived from the same root) is a pseudo-collapsed multi-(physical) layer core, i.e., a mess. We're moving the core equipment room this fall, and will redesign more in accordance with the Cisco models then, hopefully making application of root guard a little cleaner.

Life in Gainesville appears to be going on as usual. We're in Lake Alfred, about 125 miles south of GNV, which has its good and bad points, which are best discussed over several beers :~), which I would be happy to buy if we ever meet.

Thanks,

mike