Bridges STP

Bridges
&
Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
Bhaskar Reddy
bhaskarr@ipinfusion.com
Confidential
© 2010 IP Infusion Inc. All rights reserved.
1
Section: Bridges
 What is a Bridge?
 Bridges on Ethernet
 Switched Ethernet
 Types of Bridges
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What is a Bridge?
 A Bridge/Switch interconnects two or more networks at the

Data Link Layer.
 Why not a Repeater/Hub?
 Maximum Distance between two stations should not be exceeded.
 Ethernet or Token Ring : Saturation Point
 Single Collision Domain
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Ethernet Switch.
 Ethernet Switches : Multiport Transparent Bridges for

interconnecting stations using Ethernet Links.
 High port-density bridges: Switched LAN
The terms are just a marketing difference creators. (Pre 1990s :

Bridges and after that Switches). But offer the same functionality.
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Contd..
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Types of Bridges.
 Transparent Bridges: Ethernet LANs

 Translation Bridges: Ethernet <-> Token Ring
 Source Routing Bridges: Token Ring/ FDDI Networks
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Transparent Bridging
 Learning
 Flooding
 Filtering
 Forwarding
 Aging
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A unicast example
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Section: SPT
 What Is Spanning Tree and Why Use Spanning Tree

 Four-Step STP Decision Sequence
 Four-Step STP Decision Sequence
 STP States
 STP Timers
 BPDUs
 Setting the Root Bridge
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Scenario (Loops in a Network)
• Unicast frame duplication

• Multicast/Broadcast frame
multiplication(a.k.a Broadcast Storms)
• Address Table non-convergence
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Why do we have loops in the first place?
• Deliberate(Redundancy)
• Accident
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Roger That (Then lets remove those loops)
 STP : Specified an algorithm that Bridges can use to create a

loop-free logical topology.
 Formal Specification: 802.1D
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Entities..
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Key Concepts
 Bridge ID (BID)
 Port ID
 Path Cost : Indicates how close they are to other Bridges. The
faster the link, the lower the cost.
 IEE90a: Link Cost= 1000/Data Rate Mb/s
 IEEE98a : Modified Link Cost algrithm
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Path cost (contd..)
 The modified link cost algorithm uses a non-linear scale.
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The 4-step decision sequence
 Lowest Root BID

 Lowest Path Cost to Root Bridge
 Lowest Sender BID
 Lowest Port ID
Every port will save a copy of the best BPDU seen on that
port. If a new BPDU arrives this four step sequence is used to
decide if the existing BPDU (previously stored) should be
discarded and the new one saved.
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Initial STP convergence
 Elect one Root Bridge : Centre of the network

 Elect Root ports: Non-Root Bridge to the Root
 Elect Designated ports (Designated Bridges): Bridge to the
segments
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Elect one Root Bridge(Root War)
 Remember, the lowest BID wins.
 Nice. But I did not see any blood being shed! 
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Contd..
 BPDUs are special packets that bridges use to exchange

topology and Spanning Tree information with each other, sent
out every 2 seconds (default).
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Elect Root Ports
 The war is over. Now you have a King.

 Every non-Root Bridge will select one Root Port.
 Root Port Election Process: Choose the port that offers the
lowest cost to the Root (Root Path Cost).
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Elect Designated Ports
 Only one Port(Designated Port) and in turn one

Bridge(Designated Bridge) will be responsible for a segment.
 This will ensure there will be no loops.
 The Four step decision sequence is used.
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Review the convergence procedure
 First, the bridged network elects a single Root Bridge. Second,

every non-Root Bridge elects a single Root Port, the port that
is the closest to the Root Bridge. Third, the bridges elect a
single Designated Port for every segment
 The four step decision sequence (Root Bid, Root Path Cost,
Sender Bid, Port ID)
 A port stops transmitting BPDUs if it hears a better BPDU that
it would transmit itself.
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Port Roles
 Root Port (Forwarding state)

 Designated Port (Forwarding state)
 Non-Designated Port (Blocking state)
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Five Port states
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Example..
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Steady State..
 Once every Hello Time, Root Bridge send outs BPDUs through
the desginated ports.
 The Designated Bridges after receiving these BPDUs, update
them (modify Root Path cost, Bridge ID, Port ID) and send out
them on their Designated Ports. (Goes upto the leaf Bridges).
 All the Bridges receive these BPDUs.
 The ingress BPDU is checked against the best known BPDU

known on that port using the Priority vector(the 4 step
decision sequence).
Ingress BPDUs priority vector:
 Better : Configuration Update
 Same : Hold on to the state
 Worse: Reply with its BPDU
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Configuration Update
 Elect the root bridge

 Select one of its ports as the root port
 For each port, identify the designated bridge and designated
port for the LAN to which the port belongs
Needed every time something changes in the
network that may require a change in the topology.
Instances:
 A port is either enabled or disabled.
 A port's Message Age timer expires. In this case, the port is
restarted (i.e., assigned the designated role).
 The local configuration of a bridge changes.
 A bridge port receives a configuration BPDU with a superior
priority vector compared to the one previously received on the
same port.
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Contd..
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Three STP timers
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Two Types of BPDUs
 Configuration BPDUs : Root -> Designated Bridges

(Downstream)
 Topology Change Notification (TCN) BPDUs : Designated
Bridges -> Root indicating a change in Topology (Upstream)
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Configuraton BPDU
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Fields..
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TCN BPDU
 Used to indicate a change in the Topology

 Has only the first three fields of the BPDU
 Type field:
 0x00 (Binary: 0000 0000) Configuration BPDU
 0x80 (Binary: 1000 0000) Topology Change Notification (TCN)
BPDU
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Topology Change Process
Life without TCN BPDUs. (Come on dude…..)
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Lets appreciate TCN BPDUs
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Yeah…Awesome..
 When the TC (Topology Change) flag is set by the Root, all the
bridges have to change their ageing time from
300seconds(default) to 15seconds.
 The TCN BPDU reduced the failover time from 5 minutes to 50
seconds. (How?)
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When is a TCN BPDU transmitted?
 A non-forwarding bridge port (Blocking) changes state to

forwarding, or vice versa
 The root bridge ID changes
 A TCN topology change is received on a bridge port
Protocol recap:
 The bridge notifies the root bridge of the spanning tree.
 The root bridge "broadcasts" the information into the whole
network.
 Very important:
TCNs are a consequence of topology change, not a cause.
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A Real world network example
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Active Topology and N/W Admin
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Extensions.
 Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

 Per-VLAN Spanning Tree (PVST) : Cisco
 Multiple Spanning Tree Protocol (MSTP)
 Rapid Per-VLAN Spanning Tree (R-PVST) : Cisco
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Questions.. 
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References
 Cisco LAN Switching by Kennedy Clark http://

www.iphelp.ru/faq/24/toc.html
 The All New Switch Book by Rich Seifert
 http://
book.chinaunix.net/special/ebook/oreilly/Understanding_Linu
x_Network_Internals/0596002556/understandlni-PART-IV.ht
ml
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Videos
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihF_78oIaDI : Root Election

 http://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ew-bLQZCngs&feature=fvw :
Topology Change Process
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43
Thank you. 
Confidential
44

Bridges STP

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Bridges

 A Bridge/Switch interconnects two or more networks at the

 Ethernet Switches : Multiport Transparent Bridges for

The terms are just a marketing difference creators. (Pre 1990s :

 Transparent Bridges: Ethernet LANs

 What Is Spanning Tree and Why Use Spanning Tree

• Unicast frame duplication

 STP : Specified an algorithm that Bridges can use to create a

 The modified link cost algorithm uses a non-linear scale.

 Lowest Root BID

 Elect one Root Bridge : Centre of the network

 Remember, the lowest BID wins.

 Nice. But I did not see any blood being shed! 

 BPDUs are special packets that bridges use to exchange

 The war is over. Now you have a King.

 Only one Port(Designated Port) and in turn one

 First, the bridged network elects a single Root Bridge. Second,

 Root Port (Forwarding state)

 The ingress BPDU is checked against the best known BPDU

 Elect the root bridge

 Configuration BPDUs : Root -> Designated Bridges

 Used to indicate a change in the Topology

Life without TCN BPDUs. (Come on dude…..)

 A non-forwarding bridge port (Blocking) changes state to

 Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)

 Cisco LAN Switching by Kennedy Clark http://

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihF_78oIaDI : Root Election

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