ES-2108 Series User’s Guide
Chapter 1 Getting to Know Your Switch 33
STP (Spanning Tree Protocol) / RSTP (Rapid STP)
(R)STP detects and breaks network loops and provides backup links between switches,
bridges or routers. It allows a switch to interact with other (R)STP -compliant switches in your
network to ensure that only one path exists between any two stations on the network.
Link Aggregation
Link aggregation (trunking) is the grouping of physical ports into one logical higher-capacity
link. You may want to trunk ports if for example, it is cheaper to use multiple lower-speed
links than to under-utilize a high-speed, but more costly, single-port link.
Port Authentication and Security
For security, the switch allows authentication using IEEE 802.1x with an external RADIUS
server and port security that allows only packets with dynamically learned MAC addresses
and/or configured static MAC addresses to pass through a port on the switch.
Maintenance and Management Features
• Access Control
You can specify the service(s) and computer IP address(es) to control access to the switch
for management.
• Cluster Management
Cluster management (also known as iStacking) allows you to manage switches through
one switch, called the cluster manager. The switches must be directly connected and be in
the same VLAN group so as to be able to communicate with one another.
• Configuration and Firmware Maintenance
You can backup or restore the switch configuration or upgrade the firmware on the
switch.
1.3 Hardware Features
This section describes the ports on the switch.
Ethernet Ports
Connect computers or switches to the 10/100 Mbps auto-negotiating, automatic cable sensing
(auto-MDIX) Ethernet RJ-45 ports.
Gigabit Ethernet Port
Available on the ES-2108-G and ES-2108PWR, the port allows the switch to connect to
another WAN switch.
