VTP Management Window
This window appears when you choose VLAN > VTP Management on the
menu bar. Use it to:
The VTP protocol maintains VLAN configuration consistency throughout the network by
distributing VLAN information to the network. VLAN information is sent to network devices
in advertisements that contain the VTP management domain name, the current configuration
revision number, the VLANs that the server knows about, and certain VLAN parameters. Any
time you change a VLAN, VTP automatically sends an advertisement to update all other
network devices.
To display current VTP information, click the VTP Information
tab.
Before you create a VLAN, you must decide whether to use VTP in your network. If you
plan to use VTP, you must decide whether the switch will be a VTP server or VTP client and
whether to enable VTP version 2 mode. If you do not use VTP, you must set the switch to
transparent mode.
Review the VLAN configuration rules before starting
this procedure.
To configure VTP:
- Click the VTP Configuration tab from the VTP Management
window.
- From the VTP V2 Mode list, select Enabled to enable
version 2.
By default, Disabled is selected, which means that version 1 mode is
selected.
Each VTP switch automatically detects the capabilities of all the other VTP
devices. All VTP switches in the network must support version 2 mode; otherwise,
you must configure them to operate with VTP version 1.
Note: If you are using VTP in a Token Ring environment or
configuring a TrBrF or TrCrF VLAN media type, you must set VTP V2 Mode to
Enabled. If you are configuring a Token Ring or Token Ring-NET
VLAN media type, you must disable VTP V2 mode.
- From the VTP Mode Control list, select Server, Client,
or Transparent.
The default is Server.
Before you set this option, review the VTP
mode control field descriptions.
If you select Client, you cannot add, modify, or remove VLAN
configurations.
Note: If you are upgrading your switch from a software version
that supports VLANs but not VTP, and if the saved configuration file has ports
assigned to a VLAN other than VLAN 1, VTP enters transparent mode, and the
domain name shown on the VTP Configuration tab is UPGRADE. VTP learns
about the previous VLAN configurations but does not globally propagate them.
If you want to use VTP, you must select Server from the VTP
Mode Control list.
- From the VTP Pruning Mode list, select Enabled.
By default, pruning is disabled. When enabled, global pruning occurs for the
entire management domain. Pruning restricts flooded traffic to trunk links
that the traffic must use to access ports where the traffic is required.
Note: You can specify the VLANs where pruning is done by
using the pruning eligibility list (select VLAN > VLAN
Membership from the menu bar, and then click the Trunk
Configuration tab).
- In the Domain Name field, enter a name that identifies the administrative
domain for the switch.
Note: Do not configure a domain name if all switches are
operating as VTP clients; in this case, configuring a domain name makes changing
the VLAN configuration for the domain impossible.
By default, no domain name is defined, but VTP is not active until a name
is defined or until it is learned from an advertisement.
Domain names range from 1 to 32 characters and are case sensitive.
Note: After the domain name is configured or learned, you
cannot reset it to a blank or undefined name.
If you are configuring the switch for VMPS, make sure this domain name matches
the one in the VMPS configuration file.
- Optional: In the VTP Password field, enter a password.
Passwords range from 8 to 64 characters and are case sensitive. By default,
no password is defined.
If you assign a VTP password, it must match the password for the VTP domain
of the switch. This password is required for authentication when VTP advertisement
reach the switch.
Note: Catalyst 2900 XL or 3500 XL switch that boot without
the correct VTP password reject VTP advertisements until this password is
assigned. If you add a switch to a network that uses VTP, the switch learns
the VTP domain name after the domain password is assigned.
- Click OK to put your changes in effect and to close the
VTP Management window.
You cannot add a new VLAN configuration if you set the VTP Control Mode to
Client (see Configuring VTP).
To add a new Ethernet VLAN:
- Click the VLAN Configuration tab from
the VTP Management window.
- Click New to display the VLAN Configuration
- New VLAN window.
- Complete the window.
This switch supports only Ethernet interfaces. However, you can use the VTP Management
window to configure media-specific characteristics for VLAN Trunk Protocol (VTP) global
advertisements to other switches.
You cannot add a new VLAN configuration if you set the VTP Control Mode to Client
(see Configuring VTP).
To add a new non-Ethernet VLAN:
- Click the VLAN Configuration tab from
the VTP Management window.
- Click New to display the VLAN Configuration
- New VLAN window.
- Complete the window.
Use the VLAN Configuration tab to modify a VLAN. You cannot modify a VLAN configuration
if you set the VTP Control Mode to Client (see Configuring
VTP).
To modify a VLAN:
- Click the VLAN Configuration tab from
the VTP Management window.
- Select the VLAN that you want to change.
- Click Modify to display the VLAN
Configuration - Modify window.
This window contains the configuration parameters for the media type that
you selected.
- Complete the window.
Use the VLAN Configuration tab to remove a VLAN. You cannot remove a VLAN configuration
if you set the VTP Control Mode to Client.
To remove a VLAN configuration:
- Click the VLAN Configuration tab from the VLAN Management
window.
- Select the VLAN that you want to remove from the table on this tab.
- Click Remove.
The VLAN is no longer displayed on the VLAN Configuration tab.
- Click OK to save your changes to nonvolatile memory and close this
window.
The VTP mode control determines how a switch interacts with the VTP database.
Field |
Description |
Server |
A switch in VTP server mode is enabled for VTP and sends advertisements.
You can configure VLANs on it. The switch can recover all the VLAN information in the
current VTP database from nonvolatile storage after reboot. By default, every switch is a
VTP server, which is the recommended mode of operation. |
Client |
A switch in VTP client mode is enabled for VTP and can send
advertisements, but it does not have enough nonvolatile storage to store VLAN
configurations. You cannot configure VLANs on it. When a VTP client starts up, it does not
transmit VTP advertisements until it receives advertisements to initialize its VLAN
database. |
Transparent |
A switch in VTP transparent mode is locally disabled for VTP, but it does
not transmit advertisements or learn from advertisements sent by other devices, and it
cannot affect VLAN configurations on other devices in the network. The switch receives VTP
advertisements and forwards them on all trunk ports except the one on which the
advertisement was received. |