Ethan Banks

This probably ends up being a 2-parter. It’s 6pm already, my dinner is coming soon, and I’m a little fried from the day at work. We’ll see how far I get. Here goes. Spanning-tree protocol (STP) is the language switches speak to be sure that there are no topology loops in the layer 2 network. […]

The next chapter I have to do the write-up on is Spanning Tree.  Ugh. I already read it, and it was a bit of a beast.  Lots of stuff I knew, but spanning-tree is one of those topics that I never quite learned as well as I should have.  It was a handy thing to […]

VLAN – a virtual LAN. Ports defined to be a common broadcast domain. Can span multiple switches through the use of trunks. broadcast domain – devices that are on the same ethernet area. When a broadcast is sent to this area, everyone in the area gets it. Typically, one subnet per broadcast domain.

Good review of all the basics here: VLAN’s, starring DTP, 802.1q, ISL, tags, private VLAN’s, and more. Not a terribly long chapter, but good fundamentals to know. Definition of a VLAN – a group of ports that can span multiple devices, but are still a part of the same broadcast domain. Usually, you have a […]

I’m planning on building a lab with 2 6513’s, 2 3550’s, 4 3750’s, at least 1 3845 (I think I can put my hands on one), and 2 or 3 or 4 2600’s I have available.  That’s not the hugest priority for me today as I have to get through the written exam.  But…I’m going […]

I also read chapters 2 and 3 in the OECG book this week (VLAN’s and spanning-tree), but I don’t have the energy to do the write-ups on them like I did for chapter 1 right now.  Maybe a bit later.  I think I’ll go balance the checkbook and pay some bills for now.

The end of each chapter encourages you to do certain things to help you retain the information. One of those things is to define a set of words they provide, and check your answers on the CD glossary. (Note – the only thing I can’t find on the companion CD that came with the book […]

I read this chapter through in a sitting and didn’t spot much I wasn’t already comfortable with. Although there’s a lot of details that you just don’t think about much that come back up like heartburn. Chapter highlights: