Network load balancing is the technique to manage traffic across a network without the use of complex routing protocols such as BGP. Network Load Balancing divide load across multiple links, which use the network resources more efficiently and avoid network overload. Load balancing may be accomplished through software or hardware. Now, look at the topology… Read more
What is PVST+ Load Balancing? – Exclusive Explanation Read More »
The switch port directly connected to an end station cannot create bridging loops. So, the port can rapidly enter the forwarding state by skipping the listening and learning state. Portfast is a Cisco proprietary solution that allows the switch port to skip the listening and learning state and immediately enter the forwarding state. It is
How to Configure PortFast and BPDU Guard – Explained Read More »
When configuring a specific switch as a Root Bridge, the bridge ID priority value must be adjusted to be lower than the bridge priority values of all the other switches on the network. There are two different methods for configuring the bridge priority value on a Cisco Catalyst switch. Method 1 To ensure the switch
How to Configure Spanning-Tree Bridge ID – Briefly Explained Read More »
RSTP- IEEE 802.1w is the advanced version of STP, providing faster convergence than CST but holding with the same single root bridge in the topology. Most parameters in RSTP are the same as STP, so users who understand STP can effortlessly configure the RSTP. Rapid PVST+ is the Cisco proprietary of RSTP on a per-VLAN
The original IEEE 802.1D standard spanning tree protocol assumes only one spanning-tree instance for the entire switched network, regardless of the number of VLANs. A network running cannot ensure load balancing because one uplink must block for all VLANs but the CPU is free because there is only one instance of spanning tree working. The
Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) ensures network availability with redundant paths without a loop. Several types of spanning-tree protocols have appeared since the original IEEE 802.1D. The default spanning-tree mode for Cisco Catalyst switches is PVST+, which is enabled on all switch ports. The different types of spanning-tree protocols are:- Spanning-Tree Protocol (STP) The STP is the
The spanning tree algorithm exchanges the Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) to elect the Root Bridge. It is a frame containing 12 different fields with different information. The information in the BPDU is used to determine the root bridge and the paths to the root bridge. The figure below illustrates the Bridge Protocol Data Unit
802.1D Bridge Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) Frame Format Read More »
When a loop occurs in the switched network, the STP uses path cost to resolve the port’s state. Path cost is obtained from the port’s speed. The spanning tree puts the lowest-numbered port into the forwarding state if all connected ports have the same path cost values. The path information is determined using the sum
Spanning Tree Algorithm – Path Cost Exclusive Details Read More »
Every spanning tree switched network or broadcast domain has a switch designated as the root bridge. It serves as the reference point for all spanning-tree-enabled switches. The spanning tree algorithm determines which redundant paths to block. It is selected as an election process. The figure below illustrates the bridge ID (BID) fields. BID is a
IEEE 802.1D Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) and Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) use the Spanning Tree Algorithm (STA) to decide which switch ports on a network must be put in a blocking state to prevent loops. The Spanning Tree Algorithm designates one switch in the network as the root bridge. The root bridge is considered