Layer 2 redundancy – Spanning Tree Protocol

Lecture 4

SoftUni Team
Technical Trainers
Software University
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Table of Contents

1. Spanning tree protocol (STP)

2. Rapid STP (RSTP)
3. Per-VLAN STP plus (PVST+)

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Spanning tree protocol (STP)
What is the Spanning Tree Protocol?
 It addresses a problem which
switches can not handle alone:
the broadcast storms
 Without STP, a L2 loop will:
 Overload the links
 Affect the end devices
 Cause MAC table instability
 …never stop
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What is the Spanning Tree Protocol? (2)

 All STP enabled switches “talk”

to each other
 The management information
that they exchange is in the
form of BPDUs
(Bridge Protocol Data Units)
 The goal is to logically block
one or more ports to prevent
from loops
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Why STP is needed?

 In this topology STP is NOT

needed
 …but there is no
redundancy

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Why STP is needed? (2)

 Now there is a redundancy

 …but there is also the loop
problem!

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The STP algorithm
1. Elect the Root switch (Root bridge)
 This is the switch with the lowest BID (Bridge ID)
 BID = Switch Priority and MAC
2. Select the root ports
 They have the best cost (lowest) to the Root
 Selected per switch
3. Select the designated ports
 They have the best cost (lowest) to the Root
 Selected per segment (connection)
4. All other ports go to blocking state 8
STP tie-breakers
 If there is a tie situation - the same path cost via different
paths, use the following tie-breakers:
 When selecting Root port or Designated port, chose the
neighboring switch which has the lowest Bridge ID
 If the Bridge ID is the same, select the lowest Port ID (PID)
 Port ID = Port priority and port number

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Link costs (path cost)

 Higher port speed ->

lower cost
 The values can be changed
by administrator

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STP Priority
 A number between 0 and 61440
 Must be configured in increments of 4096
 Default is 32768 (+ the VLAN ID)
 The switch with the lowest priority will become the Root
 If equal values -> lowest MAC address wins
(BID = Priority and MAC)

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STP Priority (2)
 16 bits reserved for bridge priority initially
 Only the first 4 are now used for priority and the other 12 are
for VLAN

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STP Priority (3)
 Extended system ID is the reason for the 4096 increments

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STP Example 1
Priority 32768 Priority 4096

Priority 0

All links have the same cost 14

STP Example 2
Find the Root, the RP, the DP and the Blocking ports

Rp Fa0/1 Dp Fa0/1 Root

Fa0/2 Dp
Dp Fa0/3 Dp Fa0/2
Fa0/3
Dp

Fa0/1
Fa0/2 Fa0/2
Fa0/1 Rp Rp
Fa0/3
Fa0/3
Dp

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STP Example 3
Find the Root, the RP, the DP and the Blocking ports
Root
Dp Dp
fa0/1 fa0/2

fa0/1 fa0/1
Rp Rp
Dp Dp
fa0/2 Rp fa0/2

Dp Dp
Rp

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Rapid STP (RSTP)
Spanning Tree Protocol – Main Flavors
 STP - Spanning Tree Protocol, IEEE 802.1D
 RSTP - Rapid STP, IEEE 802.1W
 MSTP - Multiple STP, IEEE 802.1S (802.1Q-2005)
 PVST+ - Per-VLAN STP, Cisco proprietary

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STP (the good old Spanning Tree)
 Spanning Tree Protocol
 The industry standard name is IEEE 802.1D
 Slow convergence
 Port states:
 Disabled
 Blocking (up to 20 sec)
 Listening (up to 15 sec)
 Learning (up to 15 sec)
 Forwarding 19
RSTP (the faster STP)
 Rapid STP
 The industry standard name is IEEE 802.1W
 Much faster convergence than STP
 Introducing Edge port – a port which is connected to an end device
 RSTP uses the same algorithm as STP
 Port states:
 Discarding
 Learning
 Forwarding 20
Per-VLAN STP plus (PVST+)
PVST+
 Per-VLAN Spanning Tree is Cisco protocol
 Why? It has a similar idea as MSTP - to distribute the load
 Creates a spanning tree topology for each VLAN separately
 PortFast in PVST+ is like Edge port in STP/RSTP

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PVST+ (2)

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PVST+ (3)
Priority: 0 Priority: 4096 Priority: 4096 Priority: 0

Vlan 1 Vlan 2 Vlan 1 Vlan 2

Switch 1 port 1 Switch 2

port 1

R R
port 2 port 2

port 1 port 2

Switch 3
Priority: 32768 Priority: 32768

Vlan 1 Vlan 2

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The good and the bad about PVST+
 PVST+ advantages:
 triggers STP calculation only if there is a potential loop in a
particular VLAN
 detailed “look” of the network – does not block ports when
there is no loop on the trunks for a given VLAN
 PVST+ disadvantages
 generates a lot of overhead in the network
 proprietary protocol

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Demonstration
Summary

1.  … tree protocol (STP)

Spanning
2. Rapid
 … STP (RSTP)
3. Per-VLAN STP plus (PVST+)
 …

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