Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) is a network protocol that is an advancement over Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) . RSTP is a set of rules by which switches on the network determine the most efficient way to send broadcasts across the network by establishing a “root bridge” and blocking specific ports with the purpose of preventing network loops. RSTP prevents network loops when using multiple switches by blocking redundant paths on a network. RSTP is an improvement over STP mainly due to its reduction in convergence time. When RSTP is enabled on a network, an algorithm determines the configuration of the spanning tree automatically. RSTP can be described by three port states: Discarding, Learning, and Forwarding. The Disabled, Blocking, and Listening states described by STP have been combined into the Discarding state in RSTP. RSTP is backward compatible with STP.