When people first learn Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), they usually focus on concepts like Root Bridge, Root Port, and Designated Port. However, many network issues related to STP are actually caused by misunderstanding STP port states. STP port states define how and when a switch port is allowed to forward traffic.These states are the reason … Read more
Switching Loops – When Redundancy Turns Dangerous In a switching network, redundancy is very common. We connect switches using multiple links so that if one link fails, traffic can still flow through another path. On paper, this looks like a strong and reliable design. However, at Layer 2, redundancy comes with a serious risk known … Read more
If you are starting your networking journey or preparing for certifications like CCNA, CCNP, or SD-WAN labs, EVE-NG is one of the best network emulation platforms you can use.In this blog, we will walk through EVE-NG installation step by step, in very simple language, so even beginners can follow along easily. Let’s get started What … Read more
In modern networks, traffic demand keeps increasing. A single physical link between switches is often not enough to handle bandwidth requirements or provide redundancy. This is where EtherChannel becomes extremely useful. In this blog, we will clearly understand: Everything is explained in simple, plain English, without assuming deep prior knowledge. What Is EtherChannel? EtherChannel is … Read more
Understanding DNS: The Internet’s Phonebook Every time you open a browser and type a website address like www.google.com, something incredible happens behind the scenes. Your computer somehow knows exactly where that website is located on the internet. But how does that magic happen? The answer lies in one of the most essential systems that powers … Read more
Native VLAN: The Bridge Between Tagged and Untagged Traffic When working with VLANs and trunk links, one of the most common questions that comes up is –“What happens when a trunk port receives a frame that isn’t tagged with any VLAN ID?” This is where the concept of the Native VLAN comes into play. Let’s … Read more
When your network has multiple VLANs, it’s common to see unnecessary broadcast and multicast traffic moving across every trunk link – even to switches that don’t have hosts for that VLAN. This wastes valuable bandwidth. That’s exactly what VTP Pruning is designed to prevent. It’s a smart feature that helps your switches send VLAN traffic … Read more
In our BGP Best Path Selection series, we have gradually explored how BGP makes its routing decisions step by step. So far, we’ve covered the major attributes that influence the path selection — starting from the top of the list: Now that all the major decision points are done, we have reached the final stage … Read more
BGP Path Selection – Understanding “BGP Prefers the Path with the Lowest IGP Metric” So far in our BGP Best Path Selection series, we have explored several decision-making rules that BGP follows- Weight Local Preference Locally Originated AS Path Origin Code MED BGP Prefer eBGP over iBGP Now, it’s time to move to the next … Read more
Inside VTP: Understanding Advertisements, Message Types, and Revision Numbers Introduction In VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP), switches don’t work in isolation – they constantly talk to each other to make sure all VLAN information stays in sync.This coordination happens through VTP Advertisements – special messages that carry VLAN data between switches. However, what really decides which … Read more