Description

This article is from the Token Ring FAQ, by James Messer James@NetworkUptime.com with numerous contributions by others.

5.9] What is the spanning tree protocol? (Token Ring Data Link Layer)

Spanning tree is a protocol defined in IEEE 802.1q to prevent
bridges from creating network loops. Using the spanning tree
protocol, bridges communicate to each other and disable certain
ports/segments to prevent looping of packets.

Many implementations of the spanning tree protocol are configured so
an alternate path is available to network traffic, should the
original path become disabled.

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