Implement Spanning

Tree Protocols

LAN Switching and Wireless – Chapter 5

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 Objectives
1. Redundancy & Issues with Redundancy.
2. Spanning Tree Algorithm operation.
3. PVST+, RSTP and Rapid PVST+
4. Configuring rapid PVST+ NEW
5. Design STP for Trouble Avoidance NEW
6. Troubleshoot STP Operation

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 Part one

Redundancy in Switched Environment

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 5.1.1 Redundancy
▪ Layer 2 redundancy improves the availability of the
network by implementing alternate network paths by
adding equipment and cabling.

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 Need for Redundancy

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 Need for Redundancy

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 Need for Redundancy

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 Need for Redundancy

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 Need for Redundancy

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 Redundancy issues

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 5.1.2 Issues with Redundancy
▪ Broadcast storm can cause the end device to malfunction
because of the high processing requirements for sustaining
such a high traffic load on the network interface card.
▪ Loops result in high CPU load on all switches caught in the
loop.
▪ Because devices connected to a network are constantly
sending out broadcast frames, such as ARP requests, a
broadcast storm can develop in seconds.
▪ A host caught in a network loop is not accessible to other
hosts on the network. Because the MAC address table is
constantly changing with the updates from the broadcast
frames, the switch does not know which port to forward the
unicast frames out to reach the final destination

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 5.1.3 Real-world redundancy issues

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 5.1.3 Real-world redundancy issues
▪ Describe how redundancy can disable a hierarchical
network

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 Redundancy

▪ STP has placed some switch ports in forwarding state

and other switch ports in blocking state.
▪ This is to prevent loops in the Layer 2 network.
▪ STP will only use a redundant link if there is a failure
on the primary link.
▪ Redundancy provides a lot of flexibility in path choices
on a network, allowing data to be transmitted
regardless of a single path or device failing in the
distribution or core layers.

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 Part two

Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

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 Using spanning tree protocol (STP)

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 Using spanning tree protocol (STP)

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 Using spanning tree protocol (STP)

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 Using spanning tree protocol (STP)

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 Spanning Tree Operation

• One root bridge per

network
• One root port per
nonroot bridge
• One designated port
per segment
• Nondesignated
ports are blocking

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 The STP Root Bridge
•Reference point
•One root per VLAN
•Maintains topology
•Propagates timers

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 Using spanning tree protocol (STP)

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 Four-Step decision Sequence

Four-Step decision Sequence

Step 1 - Lowest BID
Step 2 - Lowest Path Cost to Root Bridge
Step 3 - Lowest Sender BID
Step 4 - Lowest Sender Port ID

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 How STP select the root bridge?

▪ Firstly : choose the root bridge

The lowest Bridge ID (BID)
The lowest bridge priority
The lowest MAC address

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 Bridge ID

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 Spanning tree path cost

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 Spanning tree path cost

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 What is the BPDU?

▪ The Bridge (switch) Protocol Data Unit (BPDU) is the

frame exchanged between switches to exchange STP
data and do election of root bridge and another
parameters

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 BPDU Fields

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 BPDU Process

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 BPDU Process

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 BPDU Process

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 BPDU Process

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 BPDU Process

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 BPDU Process

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 BPDU Process

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 BPDU Process

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 BPDU Process

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 Port Roles

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 Definitions of each port role

▪ Root Port: The root port exists on non-root bridges.

Root ports forward traffic toward the root bridge. Only
one root port is allowed per bridge.
▪ Designated Port: The designated port exists on root
and non-root bridges,
For root bridges, all switch ports are designated ports.
For non-root bridges, a designated port is the switch port that
receives and forwards frames toward the root bridge as needed.
Only one designated port is allowed per segment.

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 Definitions of each port role

▪ Non-designated Port: The non-designated port is a

switch port that is blocked, so it is not forwarding data
frames. A non-designated port is not a root port or a
designated port.
▪ Disabled Port: The disabled port is a switch port that is
administratively shut down. A disabled port does not
function in the spanning-tree process.

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 How STP select the root port?

▪ Secondly : choose one root port for every non-root

bridge
• the lowest cost path to the root bridge
• The lowest sender BID
• the lowest sender port ID

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 How STP choose the designated &
blocked ports ?

▪ Thirdly : choose designated ports

One designated port per segment
•The lowest switch path cost to root Bridge
•The lowest port ID (port priority + port No.)
•The lowest switch BID
all ports of Root Bridge are designated ports
the port which at front of each root port is a designated port

▪ Fourthly : other ports are blocked

▪ Fifthly : any shutdown ports is disabled
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 Port Roles

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 Port Roles

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 Port Roles

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 Port Roles

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 Port Roles

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 Port Roles

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 Port Roles

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 STP Port states

▪ The spanning tree is determined immediately after a

switch is finished booting up. If a switch port were to
transition directly from the blocking to the forwarding
state, the port could temporarily create a data loop if
the switch was not aware of all topology information at
the time.
▪ For this reason, STP introduces five port states. The
following provides some additional information on how
the port states ensure that no loops are created during
the creation of the logical spanning tree.

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 STP Port states

▪ Blocking - The port is a non-designated port and does

not participate in frame forwarding. The port receives
BPDU frames to determine the location and root ID of
the root bridge switch and what port roles each switch
port should assume in the final active STP topology.
▪ Listening - STP has determined that the port can
participate in frame forwarding according to the BPDU
frames that the switch has received thus far. At this
point, the switch port is not only receiving BPDU
frames, it is also transmitting its own BPDU frames and
informing adjacent switches that the switch port is
preparing to participate in the active topology.

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 STP Port states

▪ Learning - The port prepares to participate in frame

forwarding and begins to populate the MAC address
table by learning the source MACs in received frame
but doesn’t forward frames.
▪ Forwarding - The port is considered part of the active
topology and forwards frames and also sends and
receives BPDU frames.
▪ Disabled - The Layer 2 port does not participate in
spanning tree and does not forward frames. The
disabled state is set when the switch port is
administratively shutdown.

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 Spanning Tree Port States
1. Disabled: - No cable is connected.
- Port is shut down
2. Blocked : - Doesn’t transmit or receive data frames.
- Listen to received BPDUs.
- Doesn’t transmit BPDUs.
3. Listening: - Doesn’t transmit or receive data frames.
- Process BPDUs for Root, RP,DP election.
- First forward delay time=15 sec.
4. Learning: - Doesn’t transmit data frames.
- Drops the received data frames but after learning the
source Mac.
- Process BPDUs for Root, RP,DP election.
- Second forward delay time=15 sec.
5. Forwarding: - Start forwarding data frames
- Process BPDUs.

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 Spanning Tree Port States

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 Spanning tree timers

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 Spanning tree timers

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 STP Timers

▪ The time values given for each state are the default values.
▪ These values have been calculated on an assumption that there
will be a maximum of seven switches in any branch of the
spanning tree from the root bridge.

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 Spanning tree enhancements

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 Spanning tree enhancements

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 STP Fast ports
▪ Describe RSTP edge ports

Switch# show spanning-tree detailes

Switch(config-if)#interface fast 0/1
Switch(config-if)#spanning-tree portfast
Switch(config-if)#spanning-tree bpduguard enable

RSTP fast port problems // Sniffing

Note: you can use the command:

Interface range f 0/1-3
Or
Interface range f 0/1, 0/3, 0/5

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 How to Change the STP Switch Priority

▪ Switch(config-if)#spanning-tree vlan 1 priority 4096

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 Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

▪ Switch(config)#spanning-tree mode rapid-pvst

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 5.3 STP Convergence
▪ Define convergence for a switched network and
summarize the 3 step process STP uses to create a
loop free topology

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