Preventing Loops on Cisco Switch: Configuration Guide

Preventing Loops on Cisco Switch

Question

An engineer need to implement a solution that prevents loops from occurring accidentally by connecting a switch to interface Ethernet1/1

The port is designated to be used for host connectivity.

Which configuration should be implemented?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

A.

https://www.cisco.com/c/m/en_us/techdoc/dc/reference/cli/nxos/commands/l2/spanning-tree-bpduguard.html#:~:text=To%20enable%20bridge%20protocol%

The scenario described in the question is that an engineer needs to prevent loops from occurring accidentally by connecting a switch to interface Ethernet1/1, which is designated to be used for host connectivity. The solution to this problem lies in implementing a Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), which is a protocol designed to prevent loops in switched networks.

Out of the four options provided, only two are relevant to the problem: B and D. The other two options, A and C, are not applicable to this problem.

Option A: spanning-tree bpduguard enable

This option enables BPDU (Bridge Protocol Data Unit) Guard on the specified interface. BPDU Guard is a feature that shuts down the port if it receives any BPDU packets, which are used by switches to exchange information about the network topology. This option is not recommended for host connectivity because it can cause connectivity issues if the host generates BPDU packets, which can trigger the port to be shut down.

Option B: spanning-tree guard loop

This option enables Loop Guard on the specified interface. Loop Guard is a feature that prevents a loop from forming if a port that should be blocking (i.e., not forwarding traffic) becomes unblocked due to a misconfiguration or a hardware failure. This option is a better fit for host connectivity because it ensures that loops are prevented, while still allowing traffic to pass through the port.

Option C: spanning-tree loopguard default

This option enables Loop Guard on all ports that are not designated as root or alternate ports. This option is not specific to the problem described in the question and is not recommended for host connectivity.

Option D: spanning-tree bpdufilter enable

This option enables BPDU Filter on the specified interface. BPDU Filter is a feature that discards BPDU packets on the specified port, which can lead to loops forming in the network. This option is not recommended for host connectivity because it can cause connectivity issues if the host generates BPDU packets.

In conclusion, option B (spanning-tree guard loop) is the best solution to prevent loops from occurring accidentally by connecting a switch to interface Ethernet1/1, which is designated to be used for host connectivity.