From: barmar@alum.mit.edu   
      
   In article <8ce3bd34-f0e0-4a9f-a09c-b6e1bb932557@googlegroups.com>,   
    wrong.defcon@gmail.com wrote:   
      
   > So I have a question about Spanning Tree Protocol that I cannot find the   
   > answer to anywhere!   
      
   I think comp.dcom.lans would be the appropriate group, since this is   
   below the TCP/IP layers.   
      
   > From what I understand, switches that support STP   
   > exchange BPDUs to automatically configure who is the root switch and such.   
   > What I don't understand is how STP can protect against a situation where an   
   > end user plugs in both ends of the same Ethernet cable into two ports of the   
   > same switch.   
   >   
   > If neither end of the cable is ever plugged into a STP supported switch,   
   > there would be no BPDU exchange to set either of the ports to "blocking"   
   > mode.  So traffic is passed on both of the looped ports.  Right?   
      
   Probably.  You shouldn't connect a switch to itself like that.   
      
   --   
   Barry Margolin   
   Arlington, MA   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)