STP Topology Change (TC) flag

In an STP topology, when a bridge receives a BPDU with the Topology Change (TC) flag bit set, it reduces its MAC address table aging time from 300 seconds to 15 seconds. This ensures a relatively quick flush of stale information.

According to the official documentation, it is only when a switch receives the TC BPDU from the root that the aging timer for the MAC address table is reduced, and not when it receives a TCN from a downstream switch. The only exception is the switch on which the topology change was detected. In such a case, the age timer of the MAC address table on the originator of the TCN is immediately reduced.

The TC flag plays a vital role in the STP topology change process.

https://forum.networklessons.com/t/spanning-tree-topology-change-notification-tcn/1120/32?u=lagapides

https://forum.networklessons.com/t/spanning-tree-topology-change-notification-tcn/1120/102?u=lagapides

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/lan-switching/spanning-tree-protocol/24062-146.html#anc19

https://community.cisco.com/t5/switching/question-regarding-stp-tcns/td-p/2367104