One of the most crucial factors to take into account while designing a switched network is loop prevention. Once a loop develops, all of the available bandwidth is used to exchange data between switches. This occurs at each of the impacted switches. Loops in switched networks can be avoided using the Spanning Tree Protocol. By blocking redundant paths between switches, it achieves this. The STP concepts and configurations used to implement STP on a switch will be covered in this article.
Loops can be stopped by making sure there is only one path between switches and that the path doesn’t stay the same in a switched network.
Conditions
Here are some conditions
- When Cisco packet tracer is installed
- When the basic configuration is done with cisco devices
- When you know understanding of Cisco networking concepts.
Purpose of the spanning tree protocol (STP)
To prevent network service failures, hierarchical architecture uses redundancy as a key
component. This is accomplished by eliminating isolated sites of failure. a device, circuit, or component that has a risky single point of failure in its design, setup, or use.
This is because it could lead to a scenario in which a single flaw or malfunction renders the entire system inoperable. When building a network, it’s important to make sure there isn’t a single point of failure by using more than one path between switches.
Operations of spanning tree protocol
When all switches first act as though they are the root switch, a root switch election takes place. They keep doing this until they start getting traffic from a better switch (switch priority determines this). This is an election for the root switch.
To determine a switch’s bridge priority, we use the display spanning-tree command. The switch’s priority and the value it has been set to are both visible to the network administrator after issuing the command. The root switch is the switch with the lowest value.
It’s also important to keep in mind that the switch serves as the root bridge for the spanning-tree protocol instance. The switch priority that will be displayed when we start configuring things can be changed by the network administrator.
Another thing to keep in mind is that the network may have numerous root switches, depending on the STP method being used. This mode, known as Per VLAN Spanning Tree Plus (PVST+), enables STP for each VLAN and automatically selects a root switch for each VLAN. Rapid PVST+ is used when RSTP is used.
Spanning tree protocol interface states
Every part in the switch is included in the Spanning tree protocol; each of these parts cover the interface state phase before connecting to the traffic. Some of the below interfaces are:-
- Blocking State: Instead of forwarding traffic, block ports instead and monitor the network to see if they can keep blocking traffic. If the switched network’s state changes, the port might enter listening mode. All ports are in blocking mode after the switch has been initialized.
- Listening State: Instead of forwarding traffic, block ports instead and monitor the network to see if they can keep blocking traffic. If the switched network’s state changes, the port might enter listening mode. All ports are in blocking mode after the switch has been initialized.
- Learning State: Ports that are still learning don’t forward traffic. Instead, they continue to listen to the traffic while collecting addresses from the linked devices on a portion of it.
- Forwarding State: In that interface state of spanning tree protocol it drives traffic and forward it to another interface.
- Disable state : The disabled state of a port prevents it from forwarding traffic or listening for network traffic.
Since the RSTP was implemented, both the time it takes for a port to convert and the method used to transition have improved. This enables a switched network to begin traffic routing quickly and without needless delays. If you are someone who wants to know more about the security + solutions check Here..
