Port settings

Most switches globally enable STP on all ports, but some can configure STP settings on individual ports and even exclude a port from STP communication. Below are descriptions of some individual port settings.

Edge port

Sometimes called PortFast, This setting forces the port’s state to forwarding, preventing the connected device(s) from communicating properly with STP. Do not enable this setting without a specific use case.

The most common use case is Troubleshooting Spanning Tree (STP) connection issues.

Pro Tip: Always disable Edge Port on switch uplinks to make sure STP can detect network loops.

Auto Edge

Auto edge attempts to automatically determine if the Edge Port setting needs to be applied. The best practice is to disable this setting to avoid unexpected network interruptions.