>
> > There's a Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) defined by IEEE 802.1D. I'd prefer
> > to have that, but I don't have the 1K US$ to shell out for that.
> > Does BSDi have IEEE subscriptions for FreeBSD developers to use?
>
>Please also consider implementing 802.1G, which is for bridging over PPP
>(BCP I think?). I think a lot of us remember the times when remote bridging
>was more common than routing ;-)
I'd be happy to (I like a challenge) but I still require access to the
standards for that. So my question still stands, does BSDi have IEEE
subscriptions for FreeBSD developers to use, or are there any other ways
for me to aquire (legally of course) the standards I need without having to
shell out the 1K US$ myself.
> > This results in the blocking of redundant ports so that loops are
> > eliminated. See http://www.knowcisco.com/content/1578700949/pt02ch06.shtml
> > for a good overview that's pretty in depth.
>
>Any Cisco documentation will go into depth explaining the tradeoffs in
>deciding the timing for the various state (STP is, in the end, a state
>automaton) depending on the exact topology. You should be careful when
>deciding defaults, and you should implement a way to adjust them.
I'd probably go for the Cisco defaults. And there are lots of netgraph
nodes with settings you can change. So I'd consider being able to change
the values pretty much a given. =)
>Also, FreeBSD has support for 802.1q VLAN tagging. Having 802.1q trunks in
>your network means you (usually) have more than 1 instance of STP.
>Furthermore,
>this means that even if you don't care about 802.1q, you should be prepared to
>receive BPDU-like backets which are NOT part of the 802.1d exchange (unless my
>mind is playing tricks on me, that is). Of course you can choose not to handle
>all of this but then the implementation would be less useful in the real
>world.
Duly noted. I recall reading that 802.1Q extends the 802.1D standardble to
understand VLANs, but that most implementations still use a single STP
instance. Cisco of course uses multiple instances (did I read this on a
Cisco related site? noooo =) ).
>Having said that, while I am not able to help in writing code (no time to
>learn netgraph, sorry), I will be more than happy to test it, having a
>home network comprising a -current box with 4 ethernet ports and 3 or 4
>differents brands / models of hubs/switches.
I'll drop you a line when the time comes.
DocWilco
To Unsubscribe: send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
with "unsubscribe freebsd-current" in the body of the message