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Spanning Tree in A Nutshell

STP prevents network loops by blocking certain switch ports, allowing only one active path between devices. It works by exchanging BPDU messages to elect a root bridge and detect loops, then shutting down ports to break loops. Newer protocols like TRILL can prevent loops while keeping more links active.

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17 views

Spanning Tree in A Nutshell

STP prevents network loops by blocking certain switch ports, allowing only one active path between devices. It works by exchanging BPDU messages to elect a root bridge and detect loops, then shutting down ports to break loops. Newer protocols like TRILL can prevent loops while keeping more links active.

Uploaded by

Akazmi79
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Switching

STP
Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) prevents loops from being formed when switches or
bridges are interconnected via multiple paths. Spanning-Tree Protocol
implements the 802.1D IEEE algorithm by exchanging BPDU messages with other
switches to detect loops, and then removes the loop by shutting down selected
bridge interfaces. This algorithm guarantees that there is one and only one
active path between two network devices.
STP was invented by Dr Radia Perlman in 1985, distinguished engineer at Sun
Microsystems. Dr Perlman devised a method by which bridges can obtain Layer 2
routing utopia: redundant and loop-free operation. Think of spanning tree as a
tree that the bridge keeps in memory for optimized and fault-tolerant data
forwarding.
Spanning tree in a nutshell

STP provides a means to prevent loops by blocking links in an Ethernet


network. Blocked links can be brought in to service if active links fail.

The root bridge in a spanning tree is the logical centre and sees all traffic
on a network.

Spanning tree recalculations are performed automatically when the


network changes but cause a temporary network outage.

Newer protocols, such as TRILL, prevent loops while keeping links that
would be blocked by STP in service.

Eliminating loops with spanning tree


If your switches are connected in a loop without STP, each switch would infinitely
duplicate the first broadcast packet heard because there's nothing at Layer 2 to
prevent a loop.

Feature

Default Setting

Bridge groups

None are defined or assigned to a


port. No VLAN-bridge STP is defined.

Switch forwards frames for stations


that it has dynamically learned

Enabled.

Spanning tree parameters:

Switch priority

32768. 4096-61440

Port priority

128.

Port path cost

10 Mb/s: 100.
100 Mb/s: 19.
1000 Mb/s: 4.

Hello BPDU interval

2 seconds.

Forward-delay interval

20 seconds.

Maximum idle interval

30 seconds.

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