What is the relationship between RSTP port cost and data traffic?

Port costs in Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) play a critical role in determining the best path for data traffic within a network. The protocol uses port costs to evaluate different potential paths that data might take towards its destination. Each interface or port on a switch is assigned a cost based on factors like bandwidth; lower costs are assigned to higher-bandwidth interfaces.

When RSTP analyzes routes to determine the active path for forwarding traffic, it selects the path with the lowest cumulative port cost. Therefore, if multiple paths are available, traffic will traverse the path that has the least cost, thereby facilitating efficient data transmission. This mechanism is vital for optimizing network performance, minimizing latency, and ensuring that bandwidth is used effectively on high-capacity links.

The other choices do not accurately convey the role of port costs in RSTP. For instance, higher port costs do not prioritize traffic; rather they make those paths less desirable for data transmission. Saying port costs have no effect on traffic contradicts the fundamental workings of RSTP. Moreover, lower port costs do not create more traffic; instead, they provide a more efficient route for existing traffic, enabling more effective data flow across the network.