FORCE10-MSTP-MIB

MIB Reference — IPNetwork Monitor · Updated September 09, 2026

All MIBsFORCE10-MSTP-MIB

Organization: Force10 Networks, Inc.

Last Updated: 2008-04-01

Category: Protocol: STP, Vendor: Dell

Description: Dell Force10 Networks Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol MIB providing MSTP instance, port, and topology change management objects.

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What Is FORCE10-MSTP-MIB?

FORCE10-MSTP-MIB is a Force10 Networks (now Dell) vendor MIB implementing IEEE 802.1s Multiple and Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol management, derived from the draft-ietf-bridge MSTP MIB. It defines the mstpGen scalar group covering bridge-wide timers and capability objects — mstpGenBridgeMaxAge/HelloTime/ForwardDelay (configured) alongside their operational counterparts mstpGenMaxAge/HelloTime/ForwardDelay, mstpGenMaxHops, mstpGenHoldTime, mstpGenMigrateTime, mstpGenPathCostDefault, mstpGenCapable, and mstpGenForceVersion — plus, per its textual conventions, per-instance and per-port MSTI objects using MstiInstanceIndex, PortIndex, and BpduCounter. It exposes spanning-tree protocol operating mode, timer configuration, and BPDU counters, letting operators confirm which STP variant (802.1D, RSTP, or MSTP) a switch is actually running and whether its timers match the rest of the topology. It depends on the standard BRIDGE-MIB (dot1dBridge) and Q-BRIDGE-MIB (VlanId) for bridge/VLAN indexing that it extends with MSTP-specific instance objects. It is deployed on Force10 Ethernet switches participating in multi-instance spanning tree topologies, and administrators can download the FORCE10-MSTP-MIB file to load it into their MIB browser.

IPNetwork Monitor allows you to monitor SNMP objects defined in FORCE10-MSTP-MIB. Use the built-in SNMP Monitoring Browser to explore available variables, view their current values and descriptions, and select the objects you want to monitor. You can then create SNMP monitors, configure thresholds, and receive alerts when monitored values change.

Supported Devices

  • Force10 Networks (Dell) Ethernet switches

Monitoring Examples

An operator polls mstpGenCapable and mstpGenForceVersion to confirm a switch is actually running dot1s(4) MSTP rather than falling back to nonStp(0) or legacy dot1d1998(1), and compares mstpGenBridgeHelloTime against neighboring switches; a mismatched hello/max-age/forward-delay timer set across the topology would indicate a misconfigured bridge likely to cause topology instability or premature port blocking.

What Can Be Monitored

  • STP protocol capability/mode (802.1D/RSTP/MSTP)
  • bridge timer configuration (max age, hello time, forward delay)
  • max hops and hold/migrate timers
  • path cost default version
  • per-instance/per-port BPDU counters
Imported Objects

From BRIDGE-MIB

BridgeId
Timeout
dot1dBridgeMODULE-IDENTITY

From FORCE10-SMI

f10ExperimentOBJECT-IDENTITY

From Q-BRIDGE-MIB

VlanId

From RFC1213-MIB

mib-2

From SNMPv2-SMI

Counter32
Integer32
MODULE-IDENTITY
OBJECT-TYPE
TimeTicks

From SNMPv2-TC

DisplayString
RowStatus
TEXTUAL-CONVENTION
TruthValue

How to Use in IPNetwork Monitor

Example using mstpXstTopologyChangesCount OID:

Select a Dell Force10 (Dell Networking OS/FTOS) switch (802.1s MSTP/RSTP) as the target host to create a monitor — the SNMP service should be up and running on it. Click New Monitor, then check SNMP Custom on the Favorites tab, click Next, and confirm the host. On the next page, click Select... to open the built-in SNMP MIB Browser and type mstpXstTopologyChangesCount into the Find box to locate it in the OID tree, selecting the specific row/instance you want to monitor since this is a table column, then select it and click OK. The number of MSTP topology changes detected. On the monitor's Main parameters page you can set the target's SNMP port (default 161), credentials, polling interval, and other settings — see the SNMP Monitor help for details. On the State conditions and Alerting tabs, configure when the monitor should change state and trigger an alert; since this is a Counter32-type OID, Value bounds is the most useful condition here — trigger an alert if the counter increases sharply between polls relative to its normal baseline, since an unexpected spike often reflects a real change in traffic or activity. Click Finish to create the monitor; you can adjust any parameter later.
OIDs

RFC description

Manages Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP) configuration per IEEE 802.1s on Force10 devices.

Start monitoring Dell Force10 (Dell Networking OS/FTOS) switch (802.1s MSTP/RSTP) with a free 30-day trial of IPNetwork Monitor. Import MIBs, browse SNMP OIDs, create custom SNMP monitors, configure alerts, and monitor any SNMP-enabled network device from a single console.

Download FORCE10-MSTP-MIB