Implementation of Loop Prevention Protocols at the Data Link Layer in LAN

In LANs, it is common for the network devices to be interconnected with more than a single connection. This way, even if a device or a connection fails, the network will continue to function and user’s traffic will not be dropped, despite the minimal packet losses that would occur. However, another problem arises – loops. Protocols such as STP and ITU-T G.8032 are used to prevent loops in such networks. This paper examines the implementation and compression of the two protocols in different network topologies.