Dell EMC Configuration Guide for the S4048T–ON System 9.14.2.4

Use the STP root guard feature in a Layer 2 network to avoid bridging loops. In STP, the switch in the network with the lowest priority (as determined by STP or set with the bridge-priority command) is selected as the root bridge. If two switches have the same priority, the switch with the lower MAC address is selected as the root. All other switches in the network use the root bridge as the reference used to calculate the shortest forwarding path.

Because any switch in an STP network with a lower priority can become the root bridge, the forwarding topology may not be stable. The location of the root bridge can change, resulting in unpredictable network behavior. The STP root guard feature ensures that the position of the root bridge does not change.