A port in forwarding state operates normally. It sends and receives user frames, learns source MAC addresses, and participates in STP. Root ports and designated ports should reach forwarding state. If you connect a device to a switch port and it takes seconds before you get connectivity, you're watching STP transitions. The port moved from blocking through listening and learning. This delay protects the network but frustrates users expecting instant connectivity.
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$ curl repovive.com/roadmaps/network-design/spanning-tree-and-link-aggregation/forwarding-state
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