© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. ICND v Module Summary LAN switches and bridges have the ability to listen to traffic and make intelligent forwarding decisions at Layer 2. Most complex networks include redundant devices to avoid single points of failure. Although a redundant topology eliminates some problems, it can introduce others. STP provides path redundancy while preventing undesirable loops in switched or bridged networks. A Cisco Catalyst switch comes with factory default settings, which set up the switch to function as a transparent bridge.
© 2006 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. ICND v2.31-2