RE: What is spanning tree?

Not being able to find servers sounds very generic. Could be all sorts of
things.

Could be spanning tree combined with static mac address assignments. A loop
gets created, a port with assigned macs is then disabled, and then traffic
has nowhere to go.

If you need to have static mac addresses assigned, make sure they are going
to be on the port with the highest priority.

....and if anyone doesn't think STP is important, disable it, and go to some
random empty office and run a patch cable from one side of the room to the
other.

>From: Damien Hull <dhull@digitaloverload.net>
>To: aklug@aklug.org
>Subject: What is spanning tree?
>Date: Tue, 09 May 2006 12:45:17 -0800
>
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>I think this is the question I should have asked. My assumption was that
>spanning tree was part of switching. After doing some light reading on
>spanning tree, switching, and layer 2 networking I found the following.
>
>- From Wikipedia
> switches can also implement spanning tree protocol allowing use of
> redundant links.
>
>This tells me that spanning tree is not part of switching. It's an add
>on protocol to get rid of redundant links.
>
>This leads me to believe that spanning tree is not the problem I
>mentioned before. The one at the high school where users can't find
>servers on the network.
>
>I now believe I have just filled my head with some geek info. On the one
>hand I have a better understanding of switching. On the other I just
>learned a lot about spanning tree that I may never use.
>
>A small office network of one or two switches doesn't need spanning
>tree. Even the high school with its 10 or so switches doesn't need
>spanning tree.
>
>I'm still a little confused.
>1. Is spanning tree turned on by default
>2. Do switches with VLAN support have spanning tree
>
>I ask the last question because of IEEE standard 802.1D. It includes
>both VLANs and spanning tree. However, VLANs are specified in IEEE
>standard 802.1Q. :)
>
>I wonder if this makes me sound cool or just geeky.
>
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Received on Tue May 9 20:08:43 2006