Week 3 Posting - Genesis Perez

 Ethernet and the Spanning Tree Protocol

The historical ethernet has been around since the 1970s. It grants the ability for all devices to communicate with each other via wire or wireless. These types of connections operate in single or multiple wiring systems. Ethernet connects local area networks (LANs) which are a group of devices that are connected through cabling or radio and share resources in a small area such as printers, fax machines, and storage devices (Meyers, M. 2018). Thanks to the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), they created an ethernet standard called IEEE Standard 802.3. This standard made ethernet an open standard or system, which made ethernet cheaper and interchangeable to anyone. The IEEE approved the 10BaseF standard in 1994, which enabled data centers access to fiber-optic networks instead of depending on copper unshielding cabling (12 Important Moments..., 2020). There are different variations of ethernet, which are fast ethernet, gigabit ethernet, 10-gigabit ethernet, and switch ethernet. 

 

With all the bridging and spanning loops that cause a network to crash, one of the main solutions to fixing and organizing the circulation is the Spanning Tree Protocol and its essential contribution to networking. It is responsible for recognizing the links in the network and shutting down redundant links to prevent potential looping. This protocol works hand in hand with BPDU which stands for bridge protocol data units. The BPDU contains the information that is necessary to configure and maintain spanning tree topology. By using the BPDU, switches can communicate with each other to prevent looping from happening. Another important responsibility it has is electing which switch or network is the root bridge, or the loop-free central point of the “tree.” For a safer approach, blocking ports or blocking state will take place if a bridging loop occurs. If an error occurs in the interface or device, STP uses a mechanism called a topology change notification (TCN). This method enables the switches to rework themselves around the error, even by using blocking ports to an extent.

12 Important Moments in the Evolution from Ethernet to Metro Ethernet | Independents Fiber Network. (2020). Independents Fiber Network. https://ifnetwork.biz/resources/blog/12-important-moments-evolution-ethernet-metro-ethernet

 

Meyers, M. (2018). CompTIA Network+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition (Exam N10-007) by Mike Meyers, McGraw-Hill Education. McGraw-Hill Education.