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Understanding Spanning Tree Protocol

STP is used to prevent broadcast storms in a LAN by selectively blocking ports on switches to ensure broadcast frames only propagate along a single path. In the example triangular network, switch SW2 is elected as the root switch based on having the lowest MAC address. The root ports on SW1 and SW3 connect to SW2 and are set to forward. P1 on SW1 is designated to forward while P2 on SW3 is blocked, as SW1 has a lower MAC address than SW3 on their shared link. This configuration allows only one path for broadcast traffic while avoiding loops.

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Darlin Dounts
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48 views1 page

Understanding Spanning Tree Protocol

STP is used to prevent broadcast storms in a LAN by selectively blocking ports on switches to ensure broadcast frames only propagate along a single path. In the example triangular network, switch SW2 is elected as the root switch based on having the lowest MAC address. The root ports on SW1 and SW3 connect to SW2 and are set to forward. P1 on SW1 is designated to forward while P2 on SW3 is blocked, as SW1 has a lower MAC address than SW3 on their shared link. This configuration allows only one path for broadcast traffic while avoiding loops.

Uploaded by

Darlin Dounts
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

STP

Spanning Tree Protocol


• STP is used to reduce the effect of the broadcast frames in LAN networks.
- Block some ports on switches to prevent the broadcast frames to move in two opposite directions
- Make the propagation of the broadcast frame in one way only and prevent it in the reverse way.

Example:
- Assume three switches in a LAN network are connected in triangular form as shown :
- The costs of the links between switches are shown in the figure.

SW1 P2 P1 SW2
4
P1 P2
5 4
P2 SW3 P1
MAC addresses
SW1 [Link]
SW2 [Link]
SW3 [Link]
Note:
• If no STP protocol is applied to this network,
- The broadcast frame will propagat in clockwise and anticlockwise ( 2 opposite directions )
- Which causes bad performance of the network due to the broadcast storm,

• In the STP protocol we must assign the following


Root switch • The switch which control how the STP operates.
• It is elected as the lowest MAC address.
- root switch will be SW2 (from the table).
- As SW2 is the root switch so its ports must be always open (forward)
- P1/SW2 and P2/SW2
Root ports • The root ports are the facing port to the root switches on the other Switches
- P1/SW3 and P2/SW1 ports must be always open (forward)
Designated • The designated port is an open (forward) port but not directly connected to the root switch.
Blocking port - We still have two ports not assigned if forward (open) or blocked (closed).
- These two ports are: P1/SW1 and P2/SW3.
• To choose the designated port
1. We take the port who has the less costs to the root switch SW2.
- In this case the costs are equal 4+5 = 9
2. Assign the port on the less MAC address between the switches on the link(SW1,SW3).
- MAC address of SW1 < MAC address of SW3
- The port on SW1 (P1/SW1) will be the designated port and P2/SW3 is the blocked port.

• We can brief the functions of the port in STP in the following table
P1/SW1 Designated port forward
P2/SW1 root port forward
P1/SW2 port on root switch forward
P2/SW2 port on root switch forward
P1/SW3 root port forward
P2/SW3 Blocking port blocking

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