Networking / AV-IT
RSTP — Rapid Spanning Tree
01 — Definition
The protocol that forbids loops in a switched network while keeping redundant paths available. Without spanning tree, a loop sets off a broadcast storm that saturates all the bandwidth within seconds; RSTP reconfigures the network in 1 to 6 seconds when a link fails. Dante, on the other hand, supports no network loops at all: every redundant physical connection must be disabled on a Dante network, unless you are using Dante's dedicated redundancy mode.
02 — In the field
A loop with no RSTP on a Dante network means a broadcast storm: all the audio goes down within seconds. Remember that Dante's redundancy feature runs on two completely separate networks (separate NICs, separate switches), never on a loop through a single switch.