Enabling VTP on a LAN... straight forward?

[James.Longman]

All,

Can someone just double check my thinking? I've been asked to enable VTP over an existing network (rather than remove which I'd expect...) with a number (20ish) VLANs that are to remain unchanged.

I'm thinking...

1. Visit each switch and note VLAN numbers and descriptions
2. On the switch to be VTP server create all VLANs found on other switches that don't already exist on it
3. Make that switch the VTP server
4. Slowly make each other switch a VTP client

That should preserve all VLANs and ensure no downtime, right?

Cheers folks!

[Abzal]

Hi James,

Yes, you are good to go. But make sure that trunks configured properly between switches. As VTP propagate it's information only over trunks.

This process might be easier if you configure all switches as VTP transparent. It's recommended to transparent mode. Because if somebody remove a VLAN by mistaken on VTP server it will remove that VLAN on all VTP client switches.

Anyway your configuration looks ok. There shouldn't be outage, because VLANs already exist on switches.

Hope it will help.

[Joseph W. Doherty]

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Posting

After step 3, make one or more VLAN changes (on "sever")  to increment the VLAN database revision number.  (This to insure it's higher than a newly converted "client" in your existing step 4.

If you do step 4 next hop out, one at a time, from "server", you should see each switch pick up VLAN database with "servers" revision number.

I would also recommend you set a VTP (and same) VTP password on every switch.  (Also insure VTP domain name is set too.)

You might also consider, if supported, whether you want to enable VTP auto pruning.