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SpanningTreeProtocol(STP)IntroductionForDummies

SpanningTreeProtocol(STP)Introduction
ByEdwardTetzfromCiscoNetworkingAllinOneForDummies
SpanningTreeProtocol(STP)wasdevelopedbeforeswitcheswerecreatedinordertodealwith
anissuethatoccurredwithnetworksthatwereimplementingnetworkbridges.STPservestwo
purposes:First,itpreventsproblemscausedbyloopsonanetwork.Second,whenredundant
loopsareplannedonanetwork,STPdealswithremediationofnetworkchangesorfailures.
Thedifferencebetweenabridgeandaswitchisthataswitchfunctionslikeamultiport
bridgewhereasabridgemighthavetwotofourports,aswitchlookslikeahuband,on
anenterprisenetwork,willusuallyhave12to48ports.Asyougothroughthischapter,
notethatSTPtechnologyusesthetermbridges,whenyouareactuallyplacingswitches
(multiportbridges).AtthetimeSTPwascreated,switchesdidnotexist.Clearasmud?
STPisaLayer2protocolthatpassesdatabackandforthtofindouthowtheswitchesare
organizedonthenetworkandthentakesalltheinformationitgathersandusesittocreatealogical
tree.PartoftheinformationSTPreceivesdefinesexactlyhowallthenetworkswitchesare
interconnected.
STPbuildsthisinformationbysendingoutnetworkpacketscalledBridgeProtocolDataUnits
(BPDUsorsometimesBDUs).TheseBPDUsorratherthedatainthemcontrolthewaySTP
determinesthenetworktopology.
Thefollowingfigureshowsabasicnetworkwithsimplified4digitMACaddressesfortheswitches.
AlltheswitchesonthenetworkwillsendBPDUframestotheentirenetwork,evenifanetworkthat
doesnothaveanyloops.Thesepackets,bydefault,aresentoutonthenetworkeverytwo
seconds,areverysmall,anddonotnegativelyaffectthenetworktraffic.
Ifyouareperformingapacketcaptureonanetwork,however,beawarethatthesepacketsfillyour
capturescreenquicklyandcanbedistractingwhenreviewingyourcaptureddata.Theinitial
processofsendingBPDUframeswilldeterminewhichswitchwillbetheRootBridgeandactas
thecontrollerormanagerforSTPonthenetwork.Bydefault,theRootBridgeistheswitchwiththe
numericallylowestMACaddress.

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IdentifyingRootPorts
TheBPDU,whicheveryswitchsends,containsinformationabouttheswitchanditsBridgeIDthat
uniquelyidentifiestheswitchonthenetwork.TheBridgeIDismadeoftwocomponents:a
configurableBridgePriorityvalue(whichis32,768bydefault)andtheswitchMACaddress.
IfnoneoftheswitchesonyournetworkhashaditsBridgePriorityvaluesadjusted,thentheswitch
withthelowestMACaddresswillbetheRootBridgebutiftheBridgePriorityvaluesonyour
networkhavebeenmodified,theRootBridgewillbetheswitchwiththelowestBridgePriority
value.TheRootBridgeshownintheprecedingfigureisswitch11:11.
AftertheRootBridgeisidentified,allotherswitchesdeterminethequickestpathfromthemselves
totheRootBridge.SomeswitcheshavemorethanonepathtotheRootBridgeduetoanetwork
loop.Intheprecedingfigure,switch11:22hastwopaths,onethatistwohopsawayfromtheRoot
Bridgeandonethatisonehopaway.
Ifthespeedofthenetworkingtechnologyisthesameforallnetworksegments,thepathwiththe
fewestnumberofhopsisdesignatedastheRootPort.
TheswitchwillidentifywhichofitsinterfacesistheRootPort.Eachnetworktechnologyhasa
ratedspeed,sobasedonthetechnologyofeachnetworksegmentbetweentheswitchandthe
RootBridge,theswitchisabletocalculatethecostofeachavailablepath.
ThefollowingtableliststheSTPcostassociatedwitheachnetworktechnologyspeed.Noticein
thetablethatthedatarateisinverselyproportionaltotheSTPcost.

NetworkSpeedsand
STPCosts
DataRate

STPCost

4Mbps

5,000,000

10Mbps

2,000,000

16Mbps

1,250,000

100Mbps

200,000

1Gbps

20,000

2Gbps

10,000

10Gbps

2,000

Inthefollowingfigure,alltheRootPortsareidentified.Intheeventthataswitchhastwopathsto
theRootBridgeandeachpathhasthesamecost,thentheswitchwilllookattheBPDUframes
fromitsclosetneighboroneachofthepaths.TheswitchwilldesignateitsRootPortbasedonthe
neighborwiththelowestBridgeID.

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SpanningTreeProtocol(STP)IntroductionForDummies

IdentifyingDesignatedPorts
EachswitchknowstheleastcostpathtotaketogettotheRootBridge,whichmayrequirepassing
datatoanotherswitch'sinterface.Forthesakeofthisexample,themainswitchthatisbeingused
intheexamplethereferenceswitchanditsneighbortheneighborswitch.Theportonthenext
closestswitch(neighborswitch)totheRootBridgethatisfacingthereferenceswitchiscalled
theDesignatedPort.
ThereferenceswitchwillusetheDesignatedPortasitspathtogettotheRootBridge.The
followingfigureidentifiesalltheDesignatedPortsthatthedownstreamswitcheswillusetosend
datatotheRootBridge.

BlockingLoops
Youstillhaveoneoutstandingproblemtoresolve.Therearestillloopsonthisnetworkthat
threatentobringthecurrentnetworkdownhowever,byworkingthroughhowalltheRootPorts
andDesignatedPortsareassigned,youhaveactuallycompletedtheworktoresolvetheloop
issueonthenetwork.
Inthefigureimmediatelyprecedingthissection,onlytwoportsareusedtoconnecttoneighboring
switchesthatareneitherRootPortsnorDesignatedPorts.Becausetheseportsdonothaveeither
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roleassignedtothem,theyarepartofalooponthenetwork.Ifyoureviewthefigure,youshould
beabletoidentifytheloopsonthenetwork.Toresolvetheloopissue,STPputstheseports
withoutaroleintoBlockingstate,whichmeanstheseareBlockingPorts.
BlockingPortsareportsthatdonotallowtraffictobesentorreceivedthroughtheportitis
blockingthetraffic.Essentially,youcouldsaythattheBlockingPortshavebeendisabled,butthey
arenotdisabled.Sincetheportsarenotdisabled,theswitchontheotherendofthelinkstillsees
thelinkasactive,butframesthataresentoverthatlink(excludingBPDUframes)aredropped
(blocked).
ThefollowingfigureshowsyouthecompletedSTPdiagram,includingtheBlockingPorts.

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